CRISIS: Equestria - Divergence, Book 3

by GanonFLCL

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Main 6, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Sex, Profanity, Adventure, Violence
Length: 398569

Seven years ago, Twilight Sparkle and her friends were accidentally taken to another world where they made new friends. Now they return to that world to find that things have changed, and now they and their friends must fight to save both worlds.

Seven years ago, Twilight Sparkle and her friends ventured to another world quite different from their own, where they made new friends, forged new relationships, and helped to overthrow and destroy a goddess of evil before returning home. Their lives have progressed since then, with Twilight becoming the alicorn princess who rules over all of Equestria, her friends at her side to help her.

When an experiment goes awry, she and her friends find themselves returning to that other world once again, which, like their own, has changed in that time, as their otherworldly friends have grown and made lives for themselves for better or worse. Their reunion brings on mixed feelings, as not everything is their friends' lives are what they seem.

But not all is well in this otherworld, as a dark force once thought defeated is making a return, and it will take everything our heroes have to triumph over evil.

Co-authored and edited by Devnator.
Cover art by Starlight Spark.

This is the third and final part of the three-part Divergence series, an alternate retelling of the CRISIS: Equestria story, and the final entry in the CRISIS-verse.

Updates Fridays.

Published 2021-08-06 22:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-03-04 10:35:01 UTC

Chapter One: Recurrence

Rainbow grunted and groaned as she shook the sense of dizziness out of her head; she was used to loops and twists and turns, but usually she was planning for them and performing them herself. She was sure she'd heard a familiar voice, but was still having some trouble coming to terms with what was happening and where she was. Her first focus instead was on Pinkie's wellbeing, as she had tumbled alongside her and was groaning with discomfort.

"You alright, Pinks?" she asked, gently setting her hoof on Pinkie's side. "That was quite a ride."

"Yeah, I'm good," Pinkie replied, giving Rainbow a big, dumb smile. "Nothing important got hurt. I landed on my head."

Rainbow took a deep breath and assessed the situation: she and Pinkie had been separated from the others and sucked through a magical portal into an alien—albeit familiar—world; Rarity was with Fluttershy last she saw them, and Applejack was last seen going after Twilight; she didn't know where their friends were, or if they were safe or hurt, or if they'd even gotten further separated.

But she'd been training with the Wonderbolts for years now and was learning to become a leader, somepony with a calm, composed demeanor in the face of a crisis. She had to if she was gonna take over for Spitfire one day. She needed to show confidence and strength, no matter how worried or afraid she was; panicking would just make others panic, and that didn't solve anything. It was best to take stock of the situation, learn what she could, and figure out a plan.

So, Rainbow glanced up and saw that she hadn't been seeing or hearing things earlier; she was indeed in some sort of office—Spitfire's wasn't this big, but had a similar layout—looking straight at Havoc and Dawn, the latter seated at the office's lone desk, the former standing before them utterly confused.

She smiled and gave a little wave. "Uh, hey. 'Sup? Long time no see?"

Havoc remained silent for just a moment, then threw her hooves in the air incredulously. "The fuck kind of 'hello' is that?! You come falling outta the fuckin' wall after seven years and all you've got is 'Sup'?"

"Hey, gimme a break, it's been a rough day," Rainbow huffed. She looked behind her—there wasn't anything there but a solid wall—then rubbed the back of her head anxiously. "So, uh… yeah. This wasn't how I was expecting today to go at all, lemme tell ya. Total déjà vu vibes, like I was saying earlier."

Havoc shook her head, then stepped forward and gave Rainbow a clap on the shoulder. "Well, it's great to see you again, whatever the reason. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, no trouble here. I've had worse crashes."

"What're you even doing here anyway? What happened? I thought we sent you guys home all safe and sound and shit. What gives?"

"I, too, would rather appreciate some elucidation on the circumstances of your return," Dawn said, adjusting her glasses; Rainbow didn't know where she got those glasses but it made her look more professional than she remembered. Kind of like when Rarity went into full workaholic mode. "I would also appreciate information pertaining to the rest of your collective friends, seeing as there are only two of you here at present, not six."

Rainbow tilted her head. "Well, as for what happened, today was supposed to be pretty much business as usual for us, even if Twi scheduled our monthly Friendship Council meeting a couple of days early."

"The hell is a 'Friendship Council'?" asked Havoc.

"Oh. Right, sorry, there's a lot to catch up on, huh? Uh… lemme see if I can sum that up. So, Twilight is basically the Princess of Equestria now and rules the whole kingdom, but she's sort of new to the job and wasn't sure she could do it alone, so she asked the rest of us to be like her advisors or whatever. That's the Friendship Council. I guess… technically that means Pinkie and I are like one-sixth rulers of Equestria?"

Pinkie gasped loudly, hooves on her cheeks. "I never thought of it like that before! I'm like, one-sixth Princess!" She then rubbed her chin in deep, serious thought. "Hmmm, what does that make the other five-sixths? Ooh, I know! One-sixth sugar, one-sixth spice, one-sixth everything nice, one-sixth fun, and one-sixth rock!"

"Why one-sixth rock?"

"I grew up on a rock farm, Dashie. There's gotta be a few granules in here somewhere." She tapped the side of her head, and to Rainbow's confusion, some grains of sand and dirt popped out. "See?"

Rainbow nodded with a tight-lipped smile. She'd never understood Pinkie's bizarre spontaneity sometimes, but then that was what she loved about her. One thing, anyway.

"Hold on," Havoc said, holding up a hoof. "You're tellin' me that your pal Twilight rules over your entire world?"

"Well, no, not exactly. Where we're from, Equestria's just one kingdom out of all the other kingdoms and such in the world. There's the Crystal Empire up north… but I mean, her brother and sister-in-law rule that, so…" Rainbow cleared her throat. "But there's Griffonstone and Yakyakistan, and—"

"So she holds jurisdiction over a singular nation," Dawn clarified, her expression an odd mix of both intrigued and relieved. "A remarkable development. Twilight never expressed any desire for such a position in our time together, so I find this incredibly ironic given my own position as Shadow Associate of New Pandemonium City."

"What's a Shadow Associate? Does that mean you rule the whole city or something?" Pinkie asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Coool! Twilight'll love to hear about that!"

Dawn gestured at Rainbow. "Incidentally, if you would continue your tale on how you two came to arrive here?"

"Right, sorry. So, uh, we all were there at the meeting like we usually are, but Twilight scheduled it two days early to mark the anniversary of when we first came here to your world seven years ago."

"A truly momentous occasion," Dawn noted with a meaningful look to Havoc. "We owe a great deal of our current livelihoods to that fortuitous event."

Rainbow brightened and gestured at her jacket. "Yeah! So Twi was feeling nostalgic for it and even had Rarity fix up our old duds. I never thought Rares would hang onto them for so long, but I'm glad she did."

"Oh hey, yeah, that's your old jacket isn't it?" Havoc asked, reaching out to touch the collar. "Lookin' good on ya over that flight suit. You wouldn't look out of place down in Hope's Point at all, probably fit right in as a captain of a flight team."

"Thanks!"

"If we can cease these unnecessary interruptions?" Dawn grunted.

"Fuck off, Dawn," Havoc snapped. "I haven't seen Dash in seven years, I'm allowed to ask questions about how my friend is doing."

"Such frivolities can be postponed until after our discussion."

"It's alright, she's got a point," Rainbow said, patting Havoc's shoulder. "We've gotta figure out what's going on, so I might as well spell it all out first. We'll catch up afterwards."

Havoc grunted, then shrugged and nodded.

So, Rainbow continued, "Anyway, then Twi told us that she'd been spending some time working on a new spell or something so that she could check up on all of you guys. Twi looked in on Winter, Pinkie on Velvet, Rarity on Insipid, Shy on Lockwood, AJ on Flathoof, and mine was you, Havoc. Then something went wrong—I still don't know what—and we all got pulled into the portal we were looking through. Again. But a little different?

"Anyway, we got separated as we went through." She gestured to Pinkie. "I managed to hold onto Pinks here, but we lost sight of Rarity and Fluttershy, and Applejack jumped after Twilight and we lost track of them, too. Twilight wasn't in too good of shape last I saw her, either. So, uh… yeah, then we popped in here and here we are."

"So, wait, Twilight made a spell so you guys could see how we were doing?" Havoc asked, tilting her head. "Why?"

"Well, 'cause we haven't seen any of you guys for seven years and Twi figured we'd want to know how things are going here. I mean, we would've written a letter or something, but I don't think we can send mail across worlds or whatever."

"Derpy's good, but not that good," Pinkie giggled. "I mean, there'd have to be some sort of casual multiverse-traveling mechanism for that kind of postal service, and let's all be honest with one another, that kinda sounds hard to keep track of. Can you imagine? Me sending a letter to another me in another world? How would they get the right Pinkie? Do universes have addresses? Do I make out the letter to Pinkie Pie, or like, Alternate Pinkie Pie, or do I give her a number? Am I a number, and if so, what number? Or do other Pinkies go by different names to avoid confusion? Like… Susan? If so, are they even Pinkie Pie anymore? What makes a Pinkie Pie? Is there a 'main' Pinkie, like a Pinkie Prime? How does one determine who's Pinkie Prime or not? Is it a battle royale? A bake-off? Is there an entire society of just Pinkie Pies? If so, where's my invitation? In the mail? But wait, what if it got lost because it went to the wrong Pinkie?!"

Pinkie then held her head in her hooves. "Gahhh, multiverse theory is so confusing!"

Rainbow and Havoc blinked, then turned their attention back to one another. Better to let Pinkie have her fun and just move on, Rainbow had learned.

"So, uh… anyway, cool flight suit," Havoc said, pressing her hoof against Rainbow's chest. "Is that a skyball uniform in your world or something? Do you play professionally now?"

"Oh, naw, this is the official uniform of the Wonderbolts," Dash said, puffing out her chest. She pointed out the stripes on the side. "I made Second-Lieutenant a few weeks ago. So yeah, I'm a pretty big deal now."

Havoc grinned. "Oh hey, yeah, that flight team you always used to talk about. Second-Lieutenant, huh? Well, hey, look, not to brag, but I'm a Commander—" She paused, then glared at Dawn. "Wait, no, that's right, I guess I'm just a Captain now, right?"

Dawn didn't reply; she actually wasn't even facing the group anymore, having swiveled her chair around to look out the window. This actually drew Dash's attention to the window long enough to see what looked like the beginnings of a sandstorm outside… somehow? What? Weren't they in the middle of the biggest city ever? How was there a sandstorm going on outside?

"Hey! I asked you a question!" Havoc snapped at Dawn.

Dawn immediately swiveled back around, looking contemplative. "I am not oblivious to that, but I had more pressing matters to attend to. Namely contacting our sisters to ascertain whether any of them bore witness to any strange or suspicious occurences in the past several minutes, as we have."

"Have they?" Rainbow asked.

Dawn nodded. "Gray has informed me that she and Flathoof received communication from Crossfire, a request for their immediate presence before King Lockwood with Priority One protocols, which she noted as being particularly odd for him. It would certainly fit with the timing and subject matter."

"Yeah, that does sound pretty suspicious," Rainbow agreed. She paused for a second as gears clicked into place. "Wait. King Lockwood?"

Havoc gave Rainbow a sidelong glance. "Long story. Short version, ol' Dreamboat married the Pirate Queen of Hope's Point a while back, and they'd been secret lovers for years or some shit before that. Nopony knew about it, even Curaçao, and she supposedly knows everything. Heh, she was totally floored when she found out."

Pinkie gasped. "Oh. My. Gumdrops. Are you guys for realsies? Lockwood's a king? Wow! Wowee wowee wow wow. That's like… whoosh!" She buzzed her hoof over the top of her head dramatically. "That's a huge plot twist! I bet there would've been a lot of drama involved if it were revealed at a shocking moment! Like if one of our friends was totes crushing on him and stuff."

"I mean, there wasn't a lot of drama about it, really?" Havoc said with a shrug. "Just a lot of laughing because none of us knew and it was a pretty big surprise. I mean, we knew he was in a relationship—Curie figured that part out—but we didn't know he was shacking up with royalty. But hey, it was a good surprise. We've all benefited from it."

"Ahem?" coughed Dawn, raising an eyebrow. "At any rate, if King Lockwood has issued a Priority One request to Gray and Flathoof, especially considering his laissez-faire reputation when it comes to serious situations, it would be a logical assumption that something extremely critical has happened. Given the nature of the timeframe, the only conclusion is that somepony else in your group has appeared in Hope's Point, and specifically within King Lockwood's vicinity.

"Now, given your assessment of whom your collective 'Friendship Council' members each chose to monitor, the next logical conclusion would be to assume that Rarity and Fluttershy are the someponies in question, especially if one considers that they were separated from the two of you. I would further theorize that they are together, as logically Rarity would have ended up near Insipid otherwise."

Rainbow blinked and shared a look with Pinkie, who had somehow—without anypony noticing, as usual—replaced her chef hat with a deerstalker and was "smoking" a bubble pipe.

"Elementary, my dear Dawnie," Pinkie said, putting on a thick Trottingham accent. "A sound, logical assessment of the facts, if I do say so. Good show, good show indeed."

Dawn raised her eyebrow further, blinking away the same confusion that Rainbow felt. "Ah… yes. I appreciate the compliment."

"Yeah, well, if you're so good, then where are Twilight and Applejack?" Havoc snorted.

"Given that Applejack was monitoring Flathoof and yet neither she nor Twilight have manifested in the vicinity of any of our sisters, it stands that they must have been expunged from the portal at Winter Glow's location, whom Twilight was monitoring. Regrettably, I know not where that precise location might be, though I am aware of a sort of general whereabouts. A pity that I cannot confirm this, though I possess absolute confidence in my assessment of events."

"Then let's find out. Tell me where to start looking, and Dash and I can fan out and search for 'em."

Dawn scoffed, and gave Havoc a look of sheer contempt. "Not only would I not risk the well-being of our new guests by having them search fruitlessly in a potentially-lethal sandstorm, but I remind you, Captain Havoc, that you have been grounded, effective as of our prior conversation."

"You can't be fucking serious right now," Havoc seethed through clenched teeth. "This is more important than you and your fucking power trip!"

"I will continue to maintain communication with Gray Skies in regards to this situation's development," Dawn said to Rainbow, utterly ignoring Havoc. "In the meantime, while we attempt to assess these happenings and determine a cause and potential solution, it would be prudent to offer you two food and shelter in the interim. You are now guests here in Pandora Tower, and you will be safe so long as you are."

"Uh… thanks?" Rainbow said, glancing between the enraged Havoc and the bizarrely calm Dawn.

Dawn then turned to Havoc. "Havoc, bring our guests to Curaçao; she was in the tower gymnasium when we last spoke and will be awaiting your arrival. I have already communicated to her the details of our strange circumstances, so she will likely have already begun making arrangements. She, unlike some of you, possesses an impeccable work ethic."

Havoc's eye twitched. "You stuck-up—" She took a deep, loud breath. "We should take Dash and Pinkie to Hope's Point, don't you think? That way they can stick together with Rarity and Shy? I mean, assuming you're right about that little guess of yours, it would make sense to keep them as together as possible."

"Ignoring your preposterous assumption that my hypothesis is anything but utterly correct, no, we shall do no such thing." Dawn shook her head. "I am treading on treacherous ground in regards to Her Majesty Queen Blackburn as it stands, and delivering Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to her doorstep will needlessly complicate matters. I will not further weaken the already precarious position I am in."

"They're their friends! Blackburn won't give you any trouble for trying to keep them together! Hell, if I take 'em myself, Blackburn'll welcome them with open hooves!"

"Ah, so this is yet another pathetic attempt to finagle your way out of your allotted punishment?" Dawn rose up in her seat. "I have made my decision. My word is law in this building, in this city, Havoc. You will obey my orders, or you will face further punishment. Do I make myself clear?"

Rainbow noticed Havoc's hoof spark up with fire; she'd almost forgotten that her friend and her sisters had legitimate superpowers, and that Havoc's power was making and manipulating fire. However, as much as she would have loved to see Havoc in action—for real this time, not just lighting up a campfire or whatever—she didn't want to see Havoc get into a fight with Dawn. So, she stepped forward and put herself between the two of them.

"Sounds like a good point to me, Dawn," Rainbow said calmly. "We're safe here in this tower or whatever, like you said. And I bet Rarity and Shy are gonna be just fine with Lockwood and whoever else is with him, since he's a king now and all that. And if you're sure we can't go searching for Twi and AJ in this sandstorm, fine, I'll buy it. If we can't all be together, we might as well just play it cool for now."

"Dash, what—" Havoc started.

Rainbow turned briefly to Havoc and said under her breath. "It's not worth getting angry about. Believe me, I know what it's like to get angry over something you can't control. Let's just wait and see what happens, okay? We can plan things out once we know more."

Havoc growled, then took a deep breath and nodded, setting her hoof down and turning off the flames. "Fine. For you, Dash, I won't beat my sister to a pulp." She then looked at Dawn. "I'll take 'em to see Curie then. That cool with you?"

"I believe that is what I requested, yes," Dawn said simply.

"Whatever." Havoc gestured for Rainbow and Pinkie to follow her. "C'mon, let's get this taken care of first. We'll get lunch afterwards and get all caught up, yeah? I don't know about you, but I've got some stories to spill, lemme tell ya."

"Sounds good to me," Dash replied. "Right Pinks?"

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, you bet, I'm starving. Who knew that traveling through an interdimensional wormhole could make a mare so hungry?"

*****

Lockwood took another bite of his meal, a cheesy casserole that this restaurant made and one that he was particularly fond of, then dabbed his lips with a napkin. "Still nothing?" he asked, trying his best not to sound upset. He was, of course, but not with the imposing mare with a metal horn across from him, so he didn't want her to think that he was.

Stellar Storm was the Chief of Security here in Hope's Point and had been for many years now. She was on a very, very short list of ponies who Queen Blackburn considered to be as absolutely and excruciatingly dedicated and resourceful as she herself was, which meant that Lockwood felt confident that she could accomplish whatever task was set before her, no matter how impossible it seemed.

Storm didn't turn her attention away from either of the two datapads she had in front of her. "Nothing," she replied, not hiding the fact that she was upset, though he knew it wasn't with him. "I've double-checked every single security feed in the city myself, admittedly with Gadget's facial recognition algorithm. The last time anypony saw Commander Havoc or Shadow Associate Dawn was shortly after the former was cleared from the hospital.

"Now, there are a few blind spots in the hospital's halls so as to respect patient privacy," she continued, her metal horn lighting up to allow her magic to pull her drink over, "so my prevailing theory is that Commander Havoc entered one of these blind spots, where Shadow Associate Dawn was waiting, and the latter simply abducted the former."

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. "Are we sure we want to use the word 'abducted' here?"

"What would you call it? According to the information I have from Her Majesty and from Commander Havoc herself, she would have had no reason to want to leave willingly at the time that she did unless it was a catastrophic emergency. I finalized her citizenship clearance myself, you know?"

"I know. Still, I find it hard to believe that Dawn would just… just take Havoc away from here without telling anypony. Including Havoc, who would've told somepony that it was going to happen. It has to be an emergency situation up north that we don't know about yet." Lockwood rubbed his chin, anxious. "That just worries me more. After everything that's happened this week, I don't think we can afford any more surprises."

Storm grunted. "Well, as you often say, it could be worse." With a grin, she added, "It could be raining. Though… I guess a sandstorm doesn’t help matters any. But it could be raining in the sandstorm?"

He smiled back, and was about to reply when something happened. The universe, it seemed, liked to respond swiftly when fate was tempted so blatantly.

The wall next to the booth he and Storm were seated in gave what sounded like a loud gurgle, then with only that brief instant of warning, immediately spit out a pair of ponies that landed on the table and sent food, drinks, and silverware flying every which way. The two ponies then slid across the table and onto the floor, where they landed in a groaning heap. The wall itself didn't look worse for wear at all.

He recognized the pair of ponies instantly: Fluttershy and Rarity, friends he had never expected to ever see again.

Both Storm and Crossfire—the large stallion at his side, who was his loyal friend, steward, and bodyguard—reacted swifty, the former drawing her high-powered sidearm with her magic, the latter putting himself between Lockwood and these two new arrivals. Lockwood could hear Crossfire arm his shoulder-mounted rifles, though he wasn't poised to aim at the mares just yet; Lockwood knew he didn't need to be, because even after his injury the big stallion was still a crack shot at any distance.

Rarity started to rise to her hooves, one hoof on her temple as she shook off whatever delirium she might have been feeling from whatever she'd just experienced. "Fluttershy? Darling, are you al—" She then noticed that there was a gun in her face. "Oh dear!"

"Hooves where I can see them, lady," Storm grunted, keeping the pistol steady and her expression and tone calm and collected.

Lockwood immediately gestured for Storm to lower her weapon. "Whoa whoa whoa, there's no need for that," he said, also patting Crossfire on the rear to get his attention. "These two aren't a threat to anypony."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, two unknown individuals just teleported into our private booth. I think a little caution goes without saying, so you'll forgive me if I'm being cautious."

"Ugh… where are we?" muttered Fluttershy as she started to come to. She also noticed Storm brandishing her firearm, and instantly squeaked and clung tight to Rarity. "Oh! Wh-what's going on?!"

"You tell us."

"Chief Storm, stand down, please," Lockwood insisted. "These are two very good friends of mine. I understand that the circumstances of their arrival are very worrying, but they aren't anything to worry about individually. Trust me on this."

Storm kept her eyes locked on the two mares, then looked briefly at Lockwood, then back to the mares before sighing and relaxing her magic so that she wasn't pointing a gun at them anymore. Storm was always jumpy and strict, but she knew when to let those qualities relax.

Crossfire, too, relaxed and stepped aside a bit so that Lockwood could see his friends clearly again. "I sure hope ya know what you're talkin' 'bout," he muttered under his breath. "But in case ya don't, I ain't keepin' my eyes off of 'em."

Lockwood smiled and scooted himself out of the booth, patting Crossfire's armored side as he did so. "I do. In fact, do me a favor and get in touch with Gray and Flathoof for me, would you? Blackburn too, obviously, because this is a pretty big point of interest." He tapped his chin, then added, "And add Gilderoy to that list, if you would? Without Winter here, he's the most likely to be able to help us figure out this situation. Priority One for all of it, and don't bother with details just yet. Just get them here."

Crossfire turned to him and blinked, then nodded in understanding; he knew that when Lockwood actually started sounding like a king, that meant things were serious. "Roger that, boss, I'll get right on it." He then stepped aside with his hoof to his ear as he started quietly carrying out the request.

Rarity and Fluttershy, seeing that the situation had apparently been diffused, both rose upright. They didn't pay him or the others any attention at first; Rarity seemed more intent on making sure Fluttershy was alright, as she had been before. "You're not hurt are you, darling?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Fluttershy said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, dear. Physically, at any rate. Dreadfully confused and concerned, but not hurt."

Fluttershy bit her hoof, looking around in the private area where the booth was located. "Nopony else came out with us, did they? Oh dear, we really did get separated…"

"It would certainly seem that way." Rarity then turned and looked directly at Lockwood, and she seemed to freeze a little. "Lockwood? Is that really you, darling?"

He gave her a smile and a nod. "It's me. Are you sure you two are alright? That didn't look like a pleasant experience you went through just now, whatever it was."

"I'm quite alright dear, thank you." Rarity then glanced down at the winter coat she was wearing and let out an annoyed grunt. "Though it would seem as though I've ruined your lunch and my favorite winter coat in the same instant, wouldn't it? What a dreadful mess…" She gave a quick glance at Fluttershy, whose dress had escaped most of the mess. "Well, at least you're clean, dear. Silver lining, I suppose."

"That's your priority right now?" asked Storm, eyebrow raised. "Your clothes? Seriously?"

Rarity turned to Storm and huffed, half-offended and half-airy, as she was known to do. "A lady's priority should always be looking her best. And you are?"

"This is Stellar Storm, Chief of Security here in Hope's Point," Lockwood said with a grin. "So if she seems a little miffed by your sudden, unexplained and unexpected appearance, it's because it was unexpected and because you're pretty much total strangers to her. It's her job to monitor that sort of thing."

"This is… Hope's Point?" Fluttershy asked, glancing nervously about. "Isn't that the city of… p-p-pirates?"

Storm loudly let out an incredulous snort. "Have you been living under a rock or something? We're not in the 'piracy' business anymore, if that's what you want to call liberating wares from a corrupt corporate society that abuses its lower class to the point of working them to death, so that we could distribute it all to where it belongs: with the needy and downtrodden."

Fluttershy blinked, looked between Storm and Lockwood, and made to speak, but Lockwood interjected: "No need for that, Storm. She's not from New Pandemonium City. She doesn't know anything about what's happened in the past several years, so she's just going off of the outdated information she last heard about us."

"She's not from New Pandemonium, but she knows you? How could she know you but not know what's been going on lately? Especially considering your involvement with it all?" Storm glanced at Fluttershy, head tilted. "Unless she's from the south, but then she doesn't have any of the southern dialects that I know of, and I know them all. And she's not from around here, obviously."

"Once everypony's here, we can go over the details. Better to go over this whole kerfuffle only once, hmm? Trust me, it's complicated."

"I'll say," Rarity said quietly. She took a deep breath. "But if it's making ponies uncomfortable, perhaps we should explain—"

"No, he's right, just wait until everypony's present," agreed Storm. "Saves us all the effort. I can put aside my questions for now. Just know that I have them. Lots of them. You're a major security risk as far as I'm concerned, regardless of who's vouching for you just yet."

"Fair enough. Still, I simply won't have ponies upset with us because they don't understand where we're coming from or who we are, hmm?" Rarity extended her hoof to Storm. "Miss Storm, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Rarity, and this is Fluttershy."

Storm politely took the offered hoof, but raised her eyebrow. "Rarity and Fluttershy… your names sound familiar. Rarity in particular I'm sure that I heard fairly recently. Didn't I just—" Her eyes widened slightly and she glanced directly at Lockwood, her eyebrow raising so high it disappeared into her mane. "Aha. Interesting. The inspiration for the Priority Zero password, huh? Does the queen know?"

Lockwood cleared his throat. "Don't… don't think too much into it, Storm. It's complicated."

"At this rate, 'It's Complicated' needs to be the name of your biography. Everything revolving around you tends to get that way sooner or later."

"I thought we agreed 'It Could Be Raining' was going to be what we called it?"

"Changed my mind."

Crossfire stepped over, but didn't need to do anything to get everypony to focus on him; it was hard for his presence not to draw attention. "Yer Majesty, everyone's on their way, like ya asked. Gray 'n' Flathoof oughta be here first seein' as we're near the embassy, but Her Majesty won't be too far behind. Lorekeeper Gilderoy might take a lil’ bit longer, o' course."

Lockwood smiled. "Excellent, thank you Crossfire."

Rarity raised an eyebrow, looking positively shocked. "'Your Majesty', he said? Lockwood, are you… are you royalty?"

Lockwood blinked, then he chuckled and ran a hoof through his mane. "Uh… yeah. I am. You're looking at King Lockwood of Hope's Point. But you two don't need to go through all of that bowing business or calling me 'Your Majesty' and all that nonsense. You knew me as 'just' Lockwood, a simple landlord in a decent-quality apartment complex, and that's how you should continue to treat me. Please."

"If you insist, that won't be a problem. If there's one thing we know how to do, it's how to address royalty that doesn't want to be treated as such," Rarity said, nudging Fluttershy gently and giving her a small smile. "Isn't that right, darling?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, we're quite used to it with Twi… Twilight." She gasped and turned to Rarity fully. "Twilight! We don't know what happened to Twilight! Or Applejack or Rainbow or Pinkie! Wh-what if something happened to them? What if they fell off the paths? What if—"

Rarity set her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Easy now, dear, easy. Remember your exercises: deep breaths. I'm worried about them too, of course, but this isn't the time to panic."

Fluttershy did indeed start taking a few deep breaths, in, then out. In, then out.

"Lockwood's here to help us, hmm?" Rarity continued. "If anypony's resourceful enough to figure out what happened to our friends, it's him. He's a king now, so I imagine it must be easier than ever."

Fluttershy nodded softly. "Right. Right. You're right, we're safe here with Lockwood, and… and he'll help us find the others and keep them safe too. Right. Okay." She let out a final breath. "I'm good now. Just had a little moment, that's all." With a glance at Lockwood, she added, "I've been taking lessons in anxiety relief."

"And you're perfectly justified for being anxious, dear. Believe me, I had the same thoughts, so I understand." Rarity turned back to Lockwood, her eyes flicking down towards his chest briefly then back to his face, a glimmer in her expression that he couldn't place. "At any rate… it is wonderful to see and hear you again, dear. Despite these… awkward circumstances."

He smiled. "Likewise. Both of you. I've often wondered how things were going once you two made it back home, so I think some catching up is in order once we settle things down, hmm?"

"Okay, what's the big—" came Gray's voice from outside the eating area. Lockwood looked to see the brick house of a pegasus mare had come in and immediately froze, her ears perked as she looked onto the scene with utter confusion all over her… well, everything about her, from her facial expression to the way she was standing.

"Fluttershy? Rarity? What the hell?" she muttered.

"Gray!" Fluttershy peeped, quickly moving over to hug her old friend. "It's so good to see you again!"

The huge mare awkwardly returned the hug to the smaller one. "Y-yeah. But… but how? What? I thought—"

"Is that Fluttershy?" asked Flathoof as he entered behind Gray. "And Rarity? What in the wide world of Equestria is going on here?"

"Flathoof!" Fluttershy peeped again, smiling and waving at him without pulling too far away from Gray, and pulling him in for a hug too when he approached.

Gray looked at Lockwood, eyes narrowed. "Okay, so… now I think I know what Dawn was getting at when she asked me about seeing anything strange or suspicious. This definitely qualifies."

"Hmm?" Lockwood asked.

"On my way here, she contacted me and asked about anything weird going on, though not in such simple terms, obviously."

"Obviously."

"I didn't get what she meant until just now." She looked down at Fluttershy, who looked up with a big smile. "I guess that means that some of your friends must've ended up in Pandora Tower. That's the only reason she'd bother asking me anything: something big came up. This is pretty big in my book."

"Will agree with that sentiment," came the voice of Queen Blackburn from behind Gray.

Gray stepped aside to let Blackburn through. Blackburn was, as her title obviously implied, Lockwood's wife. She was a pegasus mare with an ash gray coat and a brilliant turquoise mane, and today wore a white coat that covered most of her body, as well as a green-and-gold striped scarf; it wasn't particularly cold out today, but the scarf never left Blackburn's sight if she could help it.

Behind Blackburn was her own close friend, steward, and bodyguard, Gadget, a short unicorn mare with a pinkish coat and an orange mane, who almost always wore a set of purple coveralls if only because she was almost always tweaking something mechanical or electrical, and it protected her from potential shocks, or so she said.

Blackburn stepped into the room fully, and her sheer presence radiated enough off of her that everypony went silent; even the two newcomers who had never met her before in their lives seemed to sense the gravitas that Blackburn carried with her wherever she went and gave her all the respect she was due just by being quiet and letting her take her time assessing things.

Blackburn started with Fluttershy, scanned her up and down with just her eyes in only about five or so seconds and tilted her head just once, then nodded as if assured by something she'd seen. She then did the same for Rarity, though this was punctuated by a noticeable pause at the beginning, though Lockwood was positive that only he—and perhaps Gadget and Crossfire—noticed the pause at all.

"New guests, appeared in city through irregular means and completely unexpectedly," Blackburn said matter-of-factly. "Wouldn't make such a fuss about it otherwise, would have made contact through practical channels, or potentially been discovered and singled out for questioning as they are not in city's database."

Rarity cleared her throat. "Yes, we must apologize for the manner in which we've arrived. Believe me, if there had been another way to do it, we would have done so. Perhaps then I wouldn't have ruined my favorite coat, aha ha." She then offered her hoof to Blackburn; she clearly knew the other mare was important, just not how important yet. "I'm Rarity. And you are?"

Blackburn seemed ever-so-slightly shaken by the offer—again, barely noticeable to anypony but Lockwood—then took the offered hoof and gave it a light shake. "A pleasure, Miss Rarity. I am Queen Blackburn."

Rarity's eyes widened in horror; in normal circumstances, this would likely have been a major social faux-pas. "Oh! Oh, forgive me, I didn't realize—"

Blackburn tilted her head towards Lockwood. "Husband expressed desire not to be treated as 'royalty', yes?" Rarity made to speak, but Blackburn kept talking: "Do not need confirmation, know that he did. In his character, predictable, understandable. Same treatment given to all his friends. Will extend same wishes to you and Fluttershy."

Fluttershy blinked. "You already know my name too?"

Blackburn turned and gave a smile. "Recall you from discussion with Lockwood, regarding your friendships with him. Conversation was years ago, topic rarely crops up these days, still recall details."

Storm perked up in realization. "Aha, so that's where I remember those names from. It's been a long time."

"Indeed. You performed background checks on their group." At Fluttershy and Rarity's confused looks, Blackburn added, "To sate curiosity, of course. Lockwood forthcoming with most details. Not all, most. Still wanted to perform own investigation. Take no offense. Also assured me other details were restricted unless cleared by Winter Glow, could never ascertain exactly what."

"It's… complicated," Rarity said nervously, glancing at Lockwood briefly; he realized why she did, of course, and knew he'd have to assure her that there was no reason for her to be anxious about it. But that would have to wait for when they could speak privately.

Blackburn smirked. "Has been a 'complicated' week for everypony. Story for a later time, though; yours more prudent at present. Once Lorekeeper Gilderoy arrives, we may begin discussion."

"Then I suppose it's a good thing I hurried myself along, hmm?" came the voice of said Lorekeeper.

Gilderoy was… an unusual creature as far as the group was concerned. Gryphons had supposedly been extinct for centuries as nopony had seen one since the northern continent was first settled by ponies, and their old home in the Goldridge Mountains looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

It had taken Lockwood some getting used to as far as having a living, well, legend walking around his city, and he knew that he wasn't alone in that. Blackburn had made the decision not to hide him away if Gilderoy didn't mind, and the old bird expressed that he was content with walking around in public; he seemed amused by the stares and the questions—particularly those that complemented his "costume"—and mostly enjoyed the opportunity to take in fresh air and new sights.

He was an old bird, of course, centuries old in fact, kept alive both because of the magic of the "Sanctuary" he had survived in following the fall of his race, and by the cybernetics that had replaced several parts of his body, such as his legs, one of his eyes, and most importantly, his heart and lungs. Gadget had been hard at work repairing the old technomagic that made the devices and upgrading them to modern sensibilities, and it seemed to do wonders for Gilderoy's health. Most of it was kept hidden under his purple robes, but not all.

As the old gryphon walked into the room, he took stock of the situation he was in and nodded once each at Rarity and Fluttershy. "These must be the 'unexpected company' Mister Crossfire spoke of. A pleasure to meet you both. I am Lorekeeper Gilderoy."

Both Rarity and Fluttershy smiled and nodded back in polite greeting. "A pleasure, sir," Rarity said. "I'm Rarity, and this is my friend Fluttershy."

"Hello," Fluttershy said with a little wave; she still kept close to Gray, and was eyeing the gryphon's implants nervously, likely confused by the sight of them.

Gilderoy looked between the two again, eyebrow raised, then twirled a talon through his beard. "Interesting. Most ponies react with such shock at my appearance that they can hardly form a coherent sentence, but even those not shocked into such stupor have expressed wonderment just from seeing me. You two, though, are oddly calm and collected for ponies seeing a gryphon for the first time."

"You're hardly the first griffin we've ever seen," Rarity said, visibly confused. "Admittedly I didn't encounter many until a few years ago, but it's certainly picked up since then. Why, a client of mine just this past spring was a lovely griffin aristocrat, Gertrude, and she commissioned a summer hat from my fashion line."

The group, sans Fluttershy and Lockwood, stared at Rarity with varying degrees of confusion, as though she were from one of Equestria's moons, likely the smaller one, as that's where the real crazies came from. Well, Gray and Flathoof didn't stare at her like that either, just with a normal degree of confusion. Even Blackburn was giving Rarity this odd look, as though she'd just said the most impractical thing known to ponykind.

Rarity looked at the looks she was getting. "Why is everypony looking at me like that? Is it something I said?"

"Yeah, you just spewed a whole load of nonsense, lady," Gadget blurted. "What psychedelics are you on? 'Cause golly, that's some good stuff you've got."

"I don't understand. Everything I said is perfectly reasonable." Rarity looked at Lockwood, a pleading cry for help in her eyes. "Right?"

"For you, yes, absolutely," Lockwood said with an understanding nod. "For them, no. Because in our world, gryphons are extinct, save for Gilderoy here."

Blackburn's eyes snapped over to him instantly. "'Our world'?"

"Oh, whoops, I let that slip, didn't I?" Lockwood said, purposefully not at all convincingly. "Winter's gonna be so upset with me for spilling the beans. Darn. Shoot. Oh well, I think it's best for us to get to that explanation, hmm? Otherwise everypony's gonna look at me like I'm crazy."

Rarity looked between the two, then cleared her throat. "I suppose it is. Ah, where to start…"

"Let's just start with how you and Fluttershy ended up back here," Gray said nonchalantly. "We can hit all the details about other stuff later." She gave a look over to Lockwood, an odd sort of approval actually. "And hey, good job on getting the cat out of the bag there. Saved me the trouble."

"Thanks," Lockwood replied. "Go on, Rarity. Tell us everything we need to know." To the rest of the room, he added, "And save the questions for when she's done. This is a lot to take in, trust me."

Rarity let out a breath, then started off with the most basic of information that she could: she and Fluttershy weren't from around here, "here" being this entire world. They were from another world, where Equestria was just a country and was ruled over by a princess—and Lockwood was baffled to learn that Twilight Sparkle had been given the job in the past year—and where the land was green and the sky was blue and ponies generally lived in harmony with one another and with other races. Fluttershy even helped with a few details here and there.

Seven years ago—exactly, if Lockwood was remembering correctly—Rarity and her friends encountered a portal that, through an unfortunate accident, drew them here to this world, whereupon it was thanks to the help of Lockwood, Flathoof, Winter, and Gray and her sisters that they were able to return to where they belonged. That in and of itself was a long enough story to fill a small book, so Rarity wisely kept it to that succinctly short summary for now.

As for why she and Fluttershy were here now, Rarity explained that Twilight was feeling nostalgic for their adventures here and finally had the power and the resources to create a spell that would let them get some closure, to see their friends again if only for a moment. Something went wrong—again—and they were drawn into the portal and whisked away to this world—again—but this time they got separated from one another, and they didn't know where the others were.

Once Rarity finished her explanation, the room went silent, and Rarity and Fluttershy both anxiously waited for somepony to say something.

Lockwood, who could process the story more quickly since he already knew most of it, spoke first: "How can we help?"

"I think the most important thing right now is finding out where our friends went," Rarity replied, looking relieved. "You've always been a tremendous help to us, Lockwood, so thank you in advance for anything you can offer."

"My pleasure, as always."

Gray drew the group's attention with a cough. "So, uh, while Rarity was going over her story, I got in touch with Dawn. I'll save us all a lot of effort searching around by telling you that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are up north in New Pandemonium, specifically at Pandora Tower. Dawn's already setting them up as guests there."

"My my, she works fast," Rarity said.

Fluttershy interjected, "Wait, you spoke with Dawn? H-how? She's nowhere around here, is she? I didn't see you use one of those… um, 'phones'."

Gray paused, then smirked and put her hoof on Fluttershy's head. "Right. Forgot that you never found out about that. Uh, so… Dawn's a real genius with magic and stuff, and she developed a spell that allows our family to communicate with one another telepathically over pretty much the entire continent. So yeah, there's that."

"That is a tremendous convenience," Rarity said with a grin. "So Dawn has found Rainbow and Pinkie, thank goodness. Anything about Twilight or Applejack, though?"

"No, nothing. Dawn has a theory, though, and wanted me to pass it along so that nopony gets worried. She said that since Twilight was apparently looking in on Winter, and since the rest of you ended up where your, uh… 'targets' were, she's guessing that Twilight and Applejack ended up wherever Winter is."

"Indeed, only logical conclusion given evidence presented," Blackburn agreed.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "You think she's right?"

"In this case? Yes. Again, only logical conclusion. Do not get along with your sister in many regards, do not agree with her methods, do not enjoy her company. However, would be foolish not to admit she possesses sound mind and keen intellect." Blackburn let out a breath and nodded firmly. "Had already come to same conclusion."

"Well, this is excellent news, then," Rarity said, her grin turning into a legitimate smile. "Where is Winter exactly? I remember seeing her in a cavern of some sort. Do we know where that is?"

"Goldridge Mountains," Lockwood said. "The cave system underneath is vast, and she's heading to the old gryphon city to do some tests on an anomaly she discovered there." He paused for a moment, realizing that there were many other things that Rarity and Fluttershy were going to need to be caught up on. But those things could wait; foal steps were needed here.

"Indeed. Timing of anomaly and unexpected visit, too close to be coincidental," Blackburn said. After a pause, and with a slight tilt of her head, she added, "Not accusing Twilight Sparkle of inciting things, of course. Illogical conclusion; Winter claims anomaly was discovered weeks before Twilight began successful testing of her spell according to your story. But timing is odd, nonetheless."

"I couldn't agree more, hmm hmm hmm," Gilderoy said, stroking his beard rapidly. "This entire story is fascinating. Other worlds and new spells that work across worlds? Yes yes, I would very much like to speak with this Princess Twilight of yours posthaste. It would certainly be the highlight of what has otherwise been a stressful, complicated week. The nature of Chronomancers and their work always intrigued me."

"Speaking of complicated weeks, this is definitely the most stressful week I've ever had to deal with," Storm snorted, shaking her head. "I'm gonna jump the gun and assume I need to get these two cleared through security procedures so they can freely walk around, so I'll get right on that."

"Astute as always, Chief Storm." Blackburn turned to Rarity and Fluttershy. "Will offer similar treatment to you two as Dawn offered to your friends: you are guests in my city. Will make accommodations at royal palace for personal friends of the king." She then paused and glanced at Gray, eyes narrowed. "Incidentally: Dawn is back at Pandora Tower?"

"Yup," Gray said with a nod.

"And Commander Havoc?"

"She's with her too, yeah." Gray then raised an eyebrow; she, along with everypony in the room, could see that Blackburn's expression was… well, displeased. "Uh, why?"

Through clenched teeth, Blackburn replied, "Dawn took her without my knowledge. Have been searching for Havoc for past hour. Suppose I could have asked you, didn't want to disturb."

"Wait, Dawn just took Havoc home? She didn't even clear it with you or anything?" Gray then stomped a hoof on the floor hard enough to shake what was left of the silverware on the table. "Dammit, Dawn! Again with this shit?"

"I'm sure she had a good reason," Lockwood offered, earning a harsh look from Blackburn; he always tried to play devil's advocate when Dawn was concerned, but he could admit it was getting more and more difficult every time she did something like this. "Besides, she can just bring Havoc back once she finishes their business there."

"She's not bringing Havoc back," Gray snorted. "Apparently Havoc needs to be up north to help transition in the new Admiral of the NPAF now that Hotstreak retired. I know the new guy, Jetstream. Probably just feels like he's in over his head and that he needs Havoc's help, and Dawn's making sure everything goes smoothly."

Lockwood's face fell. "But… but Dawn's not bringing Havoc back? She knows that the sandstorm's already picking up, right? Havoc won't be able to get back here for weeks."

"Dawn's making her stay as part of the assignment, I guess, so Havoc'll just have to deal with it. But hey, it's not like anypony's traveling the land route during the storm anyway, so at least she's got something to do and isn't gonna be bored or anything. Especially not if Rainbow's up there with her."

Lockwood blinked, and his face fell even more. "Oh, that's right. You don't know yet. Damn, I forgot she hadn't said anything to you about it."

Gray tilted her head. "Know about what?"

"Havoc was keeping it a surprise, but she asked Blackburn and I to help rush it along so we know about it. She was leaving the hospital to go meet with Cotton."

"Ah, right. Cotton doesn't know Havoc's gone." Gray hummed and tapped her chin. "Yeah, that could be a bit upsetting."

"Oh, worse than that. Cotton and Havoc got engaged over the past few days, and we helped organize a small wedding for them. It was supposed to be tonight. Havoc was going to surprise you with the invitation and everything."

Gray paused, and Lockwood could see her jaw clench; her expression was the angriest he'd ever seen on her. "I see. That changes things. Havoc definitely wouldn't have agreed to this." She shook her head and looked between Lockwood and Blackburn. "Well, I'll tell you this much: if Havoc doesn't end up killing Dawn by the end of the day, I'll be impressed."

"Discussion for later time, unimportant at present," Blackburn grunted. She turned to Rarity. "More important, dealing with current situation, ensuring wellbeing of our guests."

"And finding out exactly where Twilight and Applejack are, of course," Rarity noted. "If these caverns are as vast as you say, then they could be anywhere. I'd be happy to lend a hoof as part of a search party."

"Me too," Fluttershy said with a grin. "At least we know where they are, right? And Winter's a smart pony, she'll know you'll be looking for them and will bring them someplace where it'll be easy to find them."

Blackburn looked between the two, then shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, no search parties will be sent at the moment."

"What? Why not?" Rarity asked.

"The sandstorm I mentioned," Lockwood said, putting his hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "It's the largest sandstorm in history. Our meteorologists have already determined that the wind sheer alone is strong enough to be potentially lethal, like a… a tornado, or a hurricane. We can't even send our ships out into it because the sand particles interfere with flight guidance systems, even through our shields."

"Storm is infused with magic," Blackburn added. "Powerful magic. Risk too great for any search party. Apologies, but cannot find your friends just yet. Once sandstorm subsides, will do so. My promise to you."

"I see… so, no search party just yet. Fine, I understand. Safety first." Rarity took a breath. "Well, we'll be ready to help as soon as the sandstorm abates, then. I don't know much about sandstorms, but I do know about blizzards, so I know all about taking shelter and bunkering oneself at home for a few days."

"Not 'days'. Weeks," Blackburn said. "Sandstorm is predicted to last three weeks, potentially four. Cannot send airships out until then. Again, apologies."

Rarity's jaw dropped. "Three weeks?! But… but what about Twilight? And Applejack?"

"Winter's a smart pony, like Fluttershy said," Lockwood noted, gesturing at the equally-shocked Fluttershy. "She'll take good care of the two, no matter what happens. I trust her, and I know Twilight and Applejack do too. For now, let's just worry about you two, alright? I promise, everything's going to be a-okay."

Rarity and Fluttershy shared a brief look between themselves, then nodded and smiled.

"You certainly still know how to make a mare feel cared for, Lockwood," Rarity tittered. "And I suppose things could be worse, couldn't they?"

"Yes. It could be raining, too," finished Fluttershy.

Lockwood paused, smiled, then let out a good, hard laugh.

Fine, the circumstances weren't ideal and there was a lot on the plates of him, his friends, and his family, but this was nothing new to him. He meant what he said, and he'd do everything in his power to see it through: everything was going to be a-okay, or he wasn't King Lockwood.

*****

Winter paused and scratched her head for a moment, staring at her Timekeeper, the little pocket watch that Chronomancers such as herself used in their day-to-day work maintaining the safety and stability of worlds. It had given off an indication of a Void anomaly only a few seconds ago, but there was no indication whatsoever that there were any nearby, and the reading had only been brief in the first place.

Normally she'd chalk it up to a minor hiccup; these things happened all the time, usually the result of a teeny tiny shift in the world's balance between, as far as this world was concerned, Light and Dark magical forces. A shift so small that it had essentially solved itself by shifting the other way almost immediately, a metaphorical tug-of-war. Either that, or it was a glitch.

But, with everything that had happened this past week in regards to the safety and stability of the world, a tiny hiccup could mean anything, from the status quo returning to normal to the system just getting worse.

Her apprentice, Hourglass, noticed her in thought and asked, "Something the matter?"

Winter shook her head. "Bloody thing picked up an anomaly for about a minute, but it was so small that I couldn't trace anythin’ and now, poof, it's gone like it was never there in the first place. Just a lil' hiccup or somethin'."

"Ugh, with everything that this bloody week's already thrown at us—"

"Exactly what I was thinkin'," Winter chuckled. "Crikey, I don't think I can handle any more surprises, eh?"

Winter sighed and was about to put the Timekeeper back when it suddenly lit up green again and gave a little shake; she opened it up and looked over the graphs and figures it was displaying, which didn't make any sense whatsoever.

"Bloody hell, this thing isn't broken, is it? I'm gonna have to recalibrate it or somethin' when we get back home."

"Why? What's the reading look like?" asked Hourglass.

"Says there's a legitimate portal openin' up within the next few seconds, and bloody close by, too. We went over the data earlier in the week, and we weren't expectin' anythin' so soon, eh?"

"Oh yeah, that we did. It's not a glitch or anything, is it?"

"Maybe. Must've been thrown off by everythin' that's been goin'—"

Then, the ceiling above them shimmered for a brief moment before it tore open to quite literally spit out a most unusual cargo: a pair of ponies. The latter of the two she recognized almost immediately as Applejack, oddly enough wearing exactly what she had been wearing the last time she'd seen her: a red plaid work shirt and her trademark stetson. Winter had an exquisite memory; it came with being a Chronomancer because of all the things she had to memorize.

The other looked like Twilight Sparkle, at least as far as her colorations were concerned; the colors of Twilight's coat and mane had been burned into Winter's brain so thoroughly that she'd never mistake them for anything else. But it couldn't be Twilight Sparkle, because this mare was not only significantly taller, but also had wings in addition to her horn, which were both proportioned properly for her larger size.

Applejack, however, almost immediately threw Winter's doubts into question when she scrambled over to the larger mare and tried shaking her awake. "Twilight! Are ya alright? C'mon girl, say somethin', anythin'!"

"A-Applejack?" Winter muttered, eyes wide with shock. "What in the fuck is goin' on?"

"Oh, hey Winter," Applejack replied before turning back to—apparently—Twilight. She then paused, snapping back to Winter. "Winter! Thank goodness, ya gotta help us. Somethin's wrong wit' Twi! She's hurt or somethin', I dunno!"

Winter's mind was abuzz with so many questions that she didn't know where to start, but she shoved them all aside to do what she could to help. She'd never been particularly skilled with Restomancy—healing magic—but she did know a thorough diagnostics spell so that she could at least pinpoint the problem. She lit up her horn and performed the spell now, even as more and more questions kept flooding into her mind.

"Hmm… oh bloody hell, that's not good," she muttered after only a few seconds. "She's suffered a ley line fracture."

"I got no idea what that is. But ya said it ain't good," Applejack murmured, holding her hat over her chest. "What's wrong wit' 'er?"

"A ley line is a specific part of a unicorn's anatomy, a part of the inside of their horn. Think of it like… well, like a bone, I suppose. Like the ones in your legs. If one gets broken, ya can't bloody well walk on it, eh? Same concept here: Twilight's magic strained itself so much that she won't be able to use it for a while. The shock of the injury must have knocked her out."

"Shoot, that's just as bad as ya make it out ta be. Is there anythin' we can do?"

"It settles itself on its own so long as she doesn't use her magic, just like a bone sets itself if you keep it straight and don't put pressure on it," said Hourglass. "She'll just need plenty of rest, food, and liquids."

"I think we might have enough, but that's a bit of a stretch," Winter said, stroking her chin. "A big stretch, on account of her bein'... bigger."

"Yeah, um.. I was gonna ask about that. You never mentioned that Twilight Sparkle was an alicorn, Winter."

"That's because she was a unicorn when she left." Winter shook her head and turned back to Applejack. "But that can wait. Now, normally I'd do this myself since I'm no slouch with magic, but she looks like she might be too big for me to move on my own. You're strong, AJ, so you'll have to help me move her, 'cause she's bound to be out for—"

Twilight stirred, letting out a low groan. "Hnng… my head…"

"...a while." Winter scratched her head, utterly bewildered. "How in the—"

"Twi! Are ya okay?" asked Applejack, swooping in to attend to her friend.

"Applejack? Is that you?" Twilight asked, blinking away a stupor. She glanced around the cavern a little, likely trying to get her bearings. "Where are we? What happened?" She winced as she looked into the light of Winter's magic, which had been keeping the whole cavern alight for her and Hourglass earlier.

"You're in the caverns under the Goldridge Mountains," Winter answered. "As for the latter bit, I'd like to know that myself, eh? Are ya alright, Twilight? I'd say ya shouldn't be, but then you're up and talkin' when ya should still be out of it, even if ya don't sound like you're at one hundred percent."

"Is that… Winter?" Twilight said, eyes wide. She straightened up but did so too fast, as evidenced by her sudden dizziness and stumbling. "Wh-whoa. Why does… why does my head hurt so much?" she asked, rubbing her temple in clear pain. "It feels like my horn is on fire…"

"Ya suffered a ley line fracture," Winter explained, stepping forward and setting her hoof on Twilight's chest; she couldn't reach her shoulder without stretching. "I still don't know how you're standin' up and talkin' already, but then this is all a little wonky, eh?"

"A ley line fracture…" Twilight murmured. "I… I must have strained myself too hard." She glanced down at Winter, apparently just realizing that the smaller mare was touching her chest, and gave her a nervous smile. "It's… good to see you, Winter." She then winced, clutching her head again. "Ah, oww. It even hurts to think. That's… that's not fair…"

Winter paused for a long moment, then gave a small smile back. "Good to see you too, Twilight. Even like this." She then shook her head. "But how in the bloody hell did ya get here, eh? What happened? Void rifts shouldn't be openin' up in your world anymore, not as of last year at any rate."

Twilight, still fighting off some grogginess, looked at Winter, confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your world is stable now, at least accordin' to the reports I read from Summer Rains, your world's previous Chronomancer. I know ya remember her. She kept me in the loop considerin' that I helped her wrap up the fiasco of you and your friends endin' up here in the first place. She owed me that much."

"What… what does that have to do with this?"

"Stable worlds are essentially sealed off from the Void," Hourglass added. "That means rifts don't open up on their own; your world is basically free from the threat of the Void forever, hence why Summer got to retire." She paused, then cleared her throat and offered her hoof. "I'm Hourglass, by the way. Winter's training me to take over for her soon enough."

"Don't sound too eager, mate, ya might come across as wantin' to take the job after all," Winter snickered.

Hourglass stuck out her tongue. "Sod off."

"It's a… pleasure to meet you, Hourglass," Twilight murmured, weakly taking the younger mare's hoof and shaking it briefly. "I'm Twilight."

"Oh, believe me, I know who you are." Hourglass then tilted her head towards Applejack. "And this is Applejack. I'd wish you two a good afternoon, but this seems like anything but, huh?"

Applejack tipped her stetson. "Howdy, nice ta meet ya. An' yeah, this is kind of a weird lil' pickle we're in."

"Let's not get off track," Winter interjected, giving Twilight a curious look. "I need ta know what happened. I'm not exactly able to get in contact with HQ right now to find out anythin' from your world or what's happenin' there, so the only account I can get is yours. If I've gotta send ya back home—again—I need ta know how it happened in the first place."

Twilight coughed into her hoof and grumbled; she was still groggy, and Winter hated having to make her strain herself for an explanation, but Twilight would give a better account than Applejack would.

"Well… I know it's been a long time, Winter, but I missed— my friends and I all missed the friends we made in this world, and… it hurt not knowing how things were going. With all the other friends I have, if I want to talk to them or… or find out how they're doing, it's just a matter of sending a letter to hear from them again. That won't exactly work with you.

"So… um, I set about trying to make a spell that might help me. I figured that there are dozens of different communication spells out there, so it wouldn't be impossible to tweak and modify some of them to reach out across worlds to get in touch with you again."

Twilight chuckled quietly, then groaned in discomfort. "It was harder than it sounds, though. I had to enlist some friends for help and bring in some powerful tools to make it work, but… I managed it. I created the spell.

"So my friends and I all met each other for one of our… monthly Friendship Council meetings—I'll explain later—and I told them about my new spell, and we… we all agreed it sounded like a good idea at the time."

She shook her head; she was clearly struggling to finish. "I tested the spell over a hundred times, and I never had any problems with it working before, but… something happened. I still don't know what it was, but something wrestled control of the spell away from me."

"Is that what happened?" Applejack asked, scratching her head. "Ya mean the spell just didn't go haywire, somethin' actually tried ta break it?"

"That's… that's one way of looking at it, yes. That's what made me strain myself so hard: trying to keep the spell under control and keeping whatever that thing was from hurting me or any of you. I… guess it didn't work out so well, huh?" Twilight sighed and shook her head again, then looked at Winter. "So that's how we ended up here, and…. Winter? Are you alright?"

Winter had kept quiet the entire time Twilight had spun her story, and while at the beginning of it she was nothing but sympathetic and concerned for the well-being of her closest friend and the other acquaintances she'd made all those years ago, now, Winter was… she actually couldn't think of a proper word to describe the sheer, unrestrained anger she felt.

But she knew exactly how to express it.

"So that we're clear," Winter said through clenched teeth, “ya created a spell that tore open a rift in the Void? The same Void that I made explicitly and abundantly clear was capable of destroyin' entire worlds? Ya meddled wit' forces ya don't understand… because ya wanted to what? Check up on me?"

Twilight nervously rubbed her shoulder. "I… I was very careful—"

"You absolute idiot! You fuckin' moron! What the bloody fuckin' hell is wrong with you?!" Winter snapped, snapped so hard that Twilight stepped back against the wall and very nearly tripped. "If I told ya once, I told ya a thousand fuckin' times that Void magic isn't somethin' to fuckin' play with!"

"Winter, I didn't—"

"Do ya have any idea how fuckin' stupid what ya did is? There's a reason ponies like me do the work we do! Protectin' entire worlds from that shit and from stupid fuckers that try to mess with it!"

Twilight, looking incredibly hurt and vulnerable despite her height, shrunk back against the wall. "I just… I wanted—"

"I don't care what ya wanted! I care about the fact that ya fucked around with somethin' that I thought ya had the sense not to!" Winter held her temples. "Think, Twilight! Ya could've torn your whole world apart!"

"Hey!" Applejack shouted, stepping between Winter and Twilight. "Lay off 'er, Winter. You're outta line."

"I'm outta line? Mate, she put your whole world at risk—"

"Just because she wanted to see you! Yes!" Applejack snorted and towered herself over Winter, easy enough for her to do since she was almost as tall as Twilight. "We all wanted to see our friends again, but she wanted ta see you more'n anything!"

Winter, not intimidated by Applejack—much, anyway—fired back. "And she put you all at risk to do it!"

"I get that, but she said she did everythin' she could ta keep that from happenin'. Now I hear what you're sayin', an' alright, maybe Twilight done went too far 'n' messed things up. I get it. It happened. But somethin' else caused whatever this was, not her—she ain't no idiot—so yellin' at 'er ain't gonna fix nothin'." Applejack then poked Winter in the shoulder, hard. "So just cool yer jets an' help us figure out how ta fix this."

Winter glanced at the spot Applejack touched, then growled. "If ya put your fuckin' hooves on me again—"

"What, ya gonna start yellin' at me like I'm a lil' filly who done somethin' wrong, too?"

Hourglass forced herself between the two mares. "Enough! Both of you! Bloody hell, you're both adults. Start acting like it." She turned to Applejack. "Winter's right: Twilight's actions put your entire world at risk for selfish reasons." She then looked at Winter. "But Applejack's right: shouting and getting angry isn't helping. Believe me, I understand how mad you are. But we need to do our job first. Okay?"

Winter paused, looking at Hourglass, then Applejack, then Hourglass again. She sighed. "Right. You're right. We need to come up with a solution." She took another breath. "So, the situation's fucked from the get-go. Twilight's magic doesn't bloody work with that ley line fracture, so she needs to get back in good shape to be of any use. We don't have the supplies to do that and do the work we're out here to do."

"What work're y'all doin' that ya can't spare the time 'n' effort ta help us?" Applejack asked.

"Chronomancer business, but I don't expect anypony here but me 'n' Hourglass actually cares about how important our work is." Winter glanced briefly at Twilight, who had sunk back against the wall completely and was clutching her head. "I thought otherwise until today, but here we are." She then turned back to Applejack. "What matters is that it's important for keeping our world safe. It can't be put aside."

Applejack tilted her hat and spat in the dirt. "So what're we supposed ta do, huh? Besides Twi 'n' me bein' in a pickle on account o' her bein' hurt, we don't even know where our friends are. I don't suppose y'all know how we can figure that out, do ya?"

"No, I don't. And that's just another bloody problem in this whole situation, eh? You all really screwed the pooch on this one." Winter took a deep breath. "I've got to have time to think about how we're gonna handle this. It's not cut-and-dry like I want it to be, and I'm in a rush to get my work taken care of."

"So what're doin' fer now, then?"

"For now… you two are comin' with me and Hourglass. We'll make camp like we intended to before ya threw us all for a loop, and in the morning we'll come to a better decision on movin' forward."

Hourglass nodded in agreement. "That sounds like the best decision at the moment." She turned to Applejack. "You have to understand that we've got our own problems to deal with now, and they're not exactly simple and require our full, undivided attention. You two showing up makes things… complicated." She then snorted. "But then what isn't lately?"

Applejack grumbled, then nodded. "Fine, sounds good ta me. Lead the way." She turned back to Twilight. "C'mon, Twi. Ya good ta move 'n' walk yerself, or d'ya need help?"

Twilight shook her head; she had a vacant, defeated sadness in her eyes. "It wasn't my fault… I just wanted… I didn't mean—"

"S'alright, sugarcube," Applejack said, wrapping her hoof around Twilight's shoulder. "It's all gonna be alright. You'll see. We're gonna take care o' this right quick, just you watch." She then glared at Winter. "Right?"

Winter stared at the despondent Twilight for a long moment and felt her heart starting to ache. But before she could let those thoughts well up and distract her further, she grunted and headed off in the direction she and Hourglass had been moving in before the interruption, not saying another word.

A Chronomancer's work was never done, even when they thought it was.

Chapter Two: Refresh

Pinkie stood alongside Rainbow and Havoc as the trio rode the elevator down from the almost-tippity top of Dawn's office floor to the gymnasium of Pandora Tower. She was awed, wowed, and even a little blown away by how the technology worked; they didn't have anything like this where she lived, only if you went to some of the huge metropolitan areas like Manehatten, but those didn't have this view of the entire city from them.

And this tower was so tall, too, taller than any building she'd ever been in before. Well, technically the tallest tower of the Royal Palace in Canterlot was taller than this, but that was on the side of a mountain, while this was built from the ground up, so it really wasn't a fair comparison.

She did still keep an ear open to listen to the other two mares talk, though, because to ignore their conversation would be rude, but she knew she didn't need to join in. Havoc hadn't seen Rainbow in years, but Pinkie got to see her Dashie every day; she could let them have a few minutes.

"So, uh… do you mind if I ask what happened—" Dash started to say.

"If it's about all the scars and shit, I'll go over it with you more later," Havoc replied with a grunt. "Let's just keep it short for now and say that I got hurt in the line of duty last week and had to get an eye transplant."

"Last week?" Rainbow blurted, shaking her head. "Wow, they work fast around here. I thought everypony made a big deal about how crummy the medical service was?"

"Oh, naw, I got it fixed up in Hope's Point down south. But hey, not to throw folks around here under the bus, 'cause we've got some great doctors in the tower, yeah? I'm sure they could've done a damn good job, but circumstances made it so it was better to get it done in Hope's Point."

"Ah. Well, I'm glad to hear you're okay. You… are okay, right?"

Havoc nodded, pressing a hoof to her eye. "Still getting used to having this thing, but yeah, I'm okay. Just a little itchy, is all. I dunno if it's just me or what, but I guess I was expecting robot vision or something, like in the movies. Feels weird to have it be so… normal."

"So, Hope's Point, huh? What's that place like, anyhow? Is it like everything we heard about it? Pirates and scoundrels and stuff?"

"Better. The place is great. Cleaner air, lots of nice ponies, great booze, and no stupid-ass sky traffic laws. I love it there. I'm planning on moving pretty soon, y'know? Like, really soon, actually. You guys got here at a pretty good time."

Rainbow smirked. "Sounds like Cloudsdale back home." She cleared her throat. "And, uh, I hope you're not mad at me for stepping in between you and your sister. I just didn't want to see you guys fight, that's all."

"Psh, I wouldn't be mad at you for that, Dash." Havoc threw her hoof over Dash's shoulder. "You're one of my best friends."

"'One of'? Who else have you been talking smack with lately?"

"What, you think I'm only allowed to have you as a friend?"

Rainbow chuckled. "Psh, naw, just trying to make sure you're not trying to replace me 'cause you miss me so much. That'd be sad."

"Nah, nothing like that. Nopony could really replace you anyway. Yeah, sure, you never write or nothin', but we're still best pals." Havoc scratched her cheek. "Eh, it's probably a good thing you stepped in anyway. I'd have to explain to the others why there's a big scorch mark in Dawn's office otherwise."

"What was all that about, anyway? I mean, I know you always said you didn't get along with Dawn very well, and I saw how you two were around each other at that party way way back, but I don't remember it being so… well, violent, I guess?"

Havoc grunted and stepped away from Dash. "Dawn's always been kind of a bitch who cares more about herself and her work than anypony else, even our family. But y'know, until today, I never thought that she legitimately didn't give a shit how much she hurt us to get what she wanted. It's been really eye-opening. No pun intended."

"What'd she do?"

"A few minutes before you two showed up, she teleported me up here from Hope's Point. I'd just gotten cleared to leave the hospital and was on my way to… meet somepony important." Havoc snarled and slammed her hoof on the side of the elevator. "And now Dawn's doing everything she can to keep me from going back."

Rainbow nodded. "Well, we'll talk with your sister Curaçao, right? She'll figure something out to help you get back as soon as possible."

"That's the plan, anyway."

The elevator doors opened as the car came to a stop, and Havoc gestured for the other two mares to follow. The elevator opened right up into the gym, which was exactly how Pinkie imagined a high-tech, high-quality gym to look like: clean, white, and loaded with every piece of equipment a pony could ever want or need to train their body into perfect shape and then some. Weights, treadmills, chains, punching bags, the works, you name it. And it was all nice and compact, too.

Pinkie never spent a day in a gym in her life, and what little exercise she did get was just to keep herself from getting fat on sweets—but she still worked to keep her booty—but Rainbow could probably live at the gym and not complain. It had places where she could curl up and sleep, a bathroom of its own, showers, and a snack machine for if she needed food or water. In fact, this place was better than the old apartment they'd had to share last time they were here.

The gym wasn't particularly crowded, just a few ponies here and there using treadmills and weights. They turned and saw Havoc walking in then turned back to their exercises, which Pinkie figured meant this was a pretty regular thing. Or not. It was actually hard to tell, honestly. Maybe they just didn't care, or maybe they weren't supposed to care or bother? Eh, too many questions and concerns; that wasn't Pinkie's thing, so she just dropped it and got back to gawking at how cool everything looked.

They found Curaçao in one of the smaller side rooms, and as they walked in, she wordlessly signaled with her hoof to Havoc that she needed a moment, and Havoc then gestured for Rainbow and Pinkie to take a seat on the nearby bench to give her that moment. Havoc herself chose to just lean against the wall; Pinkie understood now why Dash thought Havoc was cool, 'cause she certainly looked and acted the part.

As for Curaçao, the earth pony mare looked exactly like Pinkie remembered her, even though she'd probably only known her for an hour or so at most. Her coat was a lovely dark blue, her mane and tail a striking red, and more than anything, she was—and Pinkie knew Rainbow would agree—drop-dead gorgeous. Especially in that dark gray leotard; she'd practically been poured into the thing.

Curaçao was currently in the process of doing some sort of martial arts training, and both the way in which she did so and the way she moved were impressive. Some sort of pony-shaped robot was serving as her sparring partner, and it moved and reacted faster than any average pony, even most above-average ponies. And yet, Curaçao moved faster, struck harder, and managed to overpower the thing with ease over the course of the few minutes they watched and waited.

Once Curaçao was done, she let out a harsh breath and said, loudly and not addressing any of the mares who had entered, "Ordinateur. Réinitialiser le programme. Ce sera tout pour aujourd'hui."

A computer voice replied, "Yes, Miss Curaçao."

Pinkie didn't speak fluent Romantique and had no idea what Curaçao had said. Rarity might know… if she were here. Either way, Curaçao then stepped over to a nearby bench where a gym bag was open and waiting, and took out a white towel and a sports bottle; the former she used to wipe sweat from her brow, the latter she drank from. And she did it so… well, Pinkie wanted to say fancy-like, but there had to be a better word for it. Could one make wiping up sweat look fancy?

Curaçao then approached the trio with a polite smile. "Merci, everypony, for waiting. I apologize, but I only get so much time in the day to do my daily exercises. Your arrival was, well… obviously it was unexpected, but also ill-timed, oui?"

"Naw, it's cool," Rainbow said, waving a hoof. "If anypony gets what it's like to want to make sure you get some gym time in, it's me. And hey, we all gotta keep in shape, huh?" Pinkie noticed Dash's eyes subtly trying to drink everything in, which was perfectly understandable; Pinkie wasn't as good about being subtle about it so she left that to Rainbow.

"Well, thank you anyway, Rainbow. And welcome to Pandora Tower." Curaçao nodded at Pinkie. "And you as well, Pinkie. It's a pleasure to have you both here as our guests, though I wish this could be under more ideal circumstances, non?"

Pinkie nodded rapidly. "Oh, totally. I wish we could've planned this visit out better or something. I would've brought a cake! Or lots of cupcakes! Or both! And all of the other necessary ingredients for one of my patented Super Big Reunion Bash parties." She set a hoof to her temple. "I mean, I could still get one of those together, but I've gotta wait until we're all together again for realsies. Otherwise it's not the real deal, y'know?"

"If there's anything you need for such an event, Pinkie, you'll have it. I promise." Curaçao then shook her head and sighed. "Anyway, I know that there are many questions to be had, oui, and I know that Dawn will expect you to answer them soon. For now, though, I will arrange things so that you two may stay in the tower as long as necessary. Est-ce acceptable pour vous? Ah, is that acceptable?"

"Yeah, we're fine with it," Rainbow said with a grin and a nod. "It'll be like staying at a fancy hotel, kinda. I mean, I know this ain't a vacation, but it sounds like we're in a better situation than last time by a long shot." She gestured around the gym. "I mean, this gym is nicer than our old apartment was already. I can imagine what the rooms look like if this is just the gym."

"Hmm, Dawn requested that I get two rooms together seeing as there are two of you, but may I assume it would be acceptable for you to… share?" Curaçao asked with a casual smirk. "I seem to recall you two were rather close, oui?"

"Hmm, I dunno," Rainbow said with a wink at Pinkie. "We might have to share a bed, Pinks. That won't be a problem, will it? It's gotta be better than a crummy old couch, right?"

"Oh no, not at all, no problem, the opposite of a problem in fact," Pinkie said with a wide grin. She tilted her head at Curaçao. "I mean, obviously you know Dashie and I are together together. Otherwise you wouldn't be acting all coy about it. I mean, at the time we weren't being totally open about it but we're super open about it now."

Curaçao grinned and nodded. "Bien. There won't be any trouble getting things arranged swiftly in that case. One room is certainly easier than two, and Dawn will understand if I told her how efficient it will be just providing you two with a larger guest suite rather than two smaller ones."

Rainbow blinked. "What, does she think we wouldn't want to share?

"Yeah, that's weird, right? Does… does Dawn not know we're together?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head. "I mean, Twilight was the last of our friends to figure it out, but she was still new at the whole 'freindship' thing in the first place."

"Dawn just doesn't notice that kind of stuff," Havoc grunted. "Even if she did, I doubt it ever crossed her mind to suggest a single room 'cause that's just not how she's wired. She's smart about a lot of things, but she's a moron with this kind of stuff." With a look at Curaçao, she added, "You'd better watch your ass. She might think you're getting insubordinate doing it your way."

Curaçao shrugged. "I'll deal with Dawn if she wants to argue against me. Consider this my way of thanking you two for being so accommodating for my wife and I at your party all those years ago. You helped us make it into a truly magical evening."

Pinkie gasped loudly, hooves on her cheeks. "Ooooh! You and Shroud got married?! Congrats! Super congrats! I knew you two were totally perfect for each other. I could see it in your eyes when you looked at one another, yep yep yep. Just the perfect couple. How long have you been married now?"

"Five years, seven months," Curaçao replied.

"Wowee wow wow, that's a long time! You guys sure moved quick, huh?" Pinkie reached over and tugged Rainbow in for a hug. "Dashie and I were dating for a lil' more than a year before we met you guys, and she only just popped the question eight months ago! For somepony so fast about everything in her life, she sure was slow about that!"

Rainbow, red in the face, replied, "W-well, y'know, it just took me a while to figure out that that's what I wanted. I didn't wait around on purpose. I figured we were fine, y'know, just dating and stuff."

To Curaçao, Pinkie added, "She figured that the writing was on the wall when I asked if she wanted to move in together. Go figure."

Havoc also turned to Curaçao, her expression deadly serious. "Speaking of which, Curie, I need you to do me a big ol' favor. A huge solid. I'll owe you super big time if you make this work for me. Like, I'm talkin' moving mountains-type favor here."

Curaçao tilted her head. "Oh? Of course, Havoc, anything. What is it?"

"So, uh… Dawn and I got into a pretty big fight when I got back here. She sort of just… took me without asking if it was okay, and I figured, fine, whatever, just a quick meeting with Jetstream about his new position, get it over with, get back south. No big deal."

Curaçao closed her eyes and took a breath through her nose, as if this was nothing new. "Let me guess: Dawn is refusing to take you back, oui?"

"Exactly. And she's not letting me fly out of here on my own, either. She had me demoted and everything so that I can't even work around NPAF regulations. You gotta be ranked Commander or higher to leave the city without official clearance, and now I'm just a Captain."

This seemed to shake Curaçao. "She did what? She demoted you? Pourquoi? Qu'est-il arrivé?"

"Yeah, she demoted me 'cause I was giving her shit about her backhoofed compliments," Havoc snorted. "She blames me for not keeping the Chameleon intact enough to get any evidence out of. Y'know, the ship that nearly killed me and was actively trying to kill Queen Blackburn? That ship?" She shook her head. "Oh yeah, I did a good job, but I guess I didn't do good enough."

"Of course she did," Curaçao sighed; she looked outrageously tired all of a sudden. "I must apologize, Havoc, but I cannot reinstate your rank. Dawn's commands supercede mine in every way, and she's likely already put the demotion through. I wish that I could help—"

"Oh no, no no no, that's not at all what I want. In fact, after what I just went through with our little stuck-up bitch of a sister, I pretty much did everything I could to make it clear that I'm outta here. I'm not taking orders from her anymore. I quit. Not just that, but I don't plan on talking to Dawn ever again. Ever."

Curaçao paused to look at Havoc for a moment, as if letting the weight of the words sink in. "I… see. Well, I will naturally respect that decision then, and I will ensure that Dawn doesn't try to get around it by having me serve as her middlemare. And though I think that you should reconsider your decision, I won't argue the point with you. It is your decision to make."

Havoc clapped her sister's shoulder. "Thanks, sis. For respecting the decision and all that. 'Cause the last thing I need is somepony else telling me what to do."

Curaçao nodded. "Still, I know that Admiral Jetstream will very much appreciate your help with this transition. Dawn may have her own motivations for wanting your help, but I know that Jetstream wants it too, and I know you want to help him. I'll ensure that you can still communicate with him and help him through this. It's the least I could do for you, oui?"

"Oh. Well sure, I'd be glad to help, but that's not what I was worried about."

"N'est-ce pas?" Curaçao shook her head, clearly confused. "It's not? I don't understand. You said you needed a favor. If that's not it, and the rank reinstatement isn't it, then what is it?"

"Like I said, Dawn demoting me is keeping me from leaving the city. I need to get going, and fast, if I'm gonna beat this sandstorm. It's barely safe enough to fly in now, and it's only gonna get worse the longer we keep talking, so y'know, if you can get that working ASAP, I'd appreciate it."

Curaçao looked utterly lost. "You want to try and beat the sandstorm? Havoc, I understand that you want nothing more to do with Dawn, but surely you could wait until the storm subsides before you leave?"

Havoc rolled her eyes. "If this were any other day, yeah, I'd agree with you, but not today. I've gotta get back to Hope's Point. By tonight. It's a hard flight, I know, but I can do it now. I'm pumped up, I'm well rested, and I've got a good fucking reason to get going pronto, so if we can get this moving?"

"Why?"

"What?"

"What's so important that you have to leave now and put yourself in danger?"

Havoc blinked. "It's… it's Cotton." She blushed and ran her hoof through her mane. "Okay, this is a shitty way to let you know the news, but… I proposed to Cotton while I was in recovery. She said yes. Queen Bee helped me put together a little private wedding ceremony for tonight. It was short notice, and we were just gonna invite a few ponies who live down there, like Gray. We wanted to keep it small."

Pinkie felt her jaw drop, and while a huge part of her was telling her to react with surprise and elation at the announcement, a teensy, tiny, itty-bitty part of her brain was using every ounce of strength to reign that in. Pinkie was rarely one for subdued reactions, but that tiny part of her brain was telling her that this wasn't the right time for her usual "Gasp, exclaim congratulations, plan the party" antics.

Curaçao's lip curled into a grin. "You and Cotton are getting married? Félicitations!"

"We're not if you don't help me get the fuck out of the city!" Havoc practically snapped. The wedding is tonight. So c'mon, work your magic so I can get going. Sorry to get all snippy and shit but I'm in a rush."

Curaçao paused, then let out a long, sad sigh—not a good sign, Pinkie knew that—and set her hoof on Havoc's shoulder. "Havoc… ma chère soeur… non. I cannot do this for you."

Havoc's eye twitched. "Wh-what? What do you mean?"

"I mean what I just said: I cannot do this for you. Or rather… will not. I will not do this for you. I am sorry. Pardonne-moi."

"What are you talking about, Curie? You're joking, right?" She pushed Curaçao's hoof off her shoulder. "Tell me you're joking. Right now. Right fucking now, tell me you're joking."

"Non, this is no joking matter. I will not help you leave the city. If this were any other day, I would gladly go behind Dawn's back and use every ounce of my power and connections to have you back in Hope's Point before dinnertime. But not today."

Havoc barely contained a sneer. "Why?"

"Because I will not let you risk your life for this," Curaçao said simply. "I almost lost you once this week, Havoc. I will not let you put yourself in a situation where you could die again, especially not so soon after you've recovered."

"Really? Is that all? C'mon, Curie—"

"Non! I will not help you with this!" Curaçao shouted. She set her hoof on the side of Havoc's face where it was scarred. "Look at you! I have not seen you since the incident, and now I see that my little sister has been scarred for life! You lost an eye, Havoc! You almost died. And now you ask me to let you risk your life again?" She shook her head and set her hoof back on the ground. "Non. And I will do everything I can to ensure that you cannot leave."

Havoc looked like she'd been struck in the gut. "You… you're serious. You're really going to keep me from going, just like Dawn—"

"Non, do not compare me to her. Think, Havoc. What happens if you fly out into the sandstorm and get hurt again? Or worse, killed? Don't just think about what that would do to me, what that would do to Gray and Velvet, to Insipid, to Lockwood, to your team, to little Rebel Noise downstairs. Think about Cotton.

"If you go now, if you fly out into that storm and something happens to you, she will blame herself for that. If you die, she will blame herself for that, because you died trying to get back to her because you couldn't wait." Curaçao shook her head. "I understand how much it will hurt to wait. I do. But Cotton will be happier if you wait and come back to her safe and sound instead of in a bodybag after we find what's left of you."

Havoc blinked, then sighed and hung her head. "You're… right. You're right. Sonuva—" She ran her hoof through her mane. "Fuck me, I hate that you're right, that you're always right. This is why it should be you, not Dawn. You actually give a fuck about me, about all of us."

Curaçao stepped forward and took Havoc in a hug, which the other mare accepted. "I love you, and I want nothing but the best for you. I'm happy to hear that you're happy, and I wish I could move heaven and earth to make things work for you… but you'll have to settle with what I can give."

"I know you would, sis. Thanks."

"And take heart, Havoc. Dawn does care… she just doesn't know how to show it. I know you might have a hard time believing it—"

Havoc grunted. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Oui… I suppose that's all that I can expect of you." Curaçao set her hoof on Havoc's cheek again. "And your eye, is it comfortable?"

"Naw, it's fine. Just taking some getting used to. A little itchy, though."

"Hmm. When I next see Her Majesty, I will need to ensure that everything is handled smoothly. Dawn will not like me injecting myself into the middle of their diplomacy, but I feel it will be necessary. Dawn likely does not understand the real implications of this."

Havoc sighed and pulled away from the hug, then turned to Rainbow and Pinkie. "Sorry you guys had to see all that. It's been a rough day, a rough week. But hey, I guess if I've gotta stay here for the next few weeks while we all wait out the sandstorm… at least I've got a good friend here to spend it with, right?"

Dash smirked and nodded. "Heck yeah, dude. And hey, don't worry about it; things are gonna work out. I just know it."

Havoc glanced at Pinkie, then smiled. "So hey, uh, while Curie's getting your room put together, you two wanna go visit Red before we head to get some grub? I bet she'd love to see you, Pinkie."

Pinkie grinned wider than she'd grinned in a while, in at least a full day. "I'd love it!"

"Cool cool. I bet she's down on the medical floor still, so we'll drop by, let you two have your little moment, then go chow down." Havoc turned to Curaçao. "Thanks, sis. We'll catch up later, okay?"

Curaçao nodded. "Of course." She smiled and nodded to Dash and Pinkie as well. "I'll have your room arranged before dinnertime so that you can settle in before it gets late. I'll let Havoc know when it's ready and she'll bring you to it, and we'll worry about a tour of the tower tomorrow, oui?"

"Thanks, Curie," Dash said, offering her hoof. "I know we never made friends with you before, or anything else really, but you seem like a really cool big sis to Havoc here, so you're alright in my book."

"Yeah! The coolest!" Pinkie agreed.

Curaçao accepted Dash's hoof and shook it. "Well, I'm pleased to have your approval, Rainbow. Now, if you'll excuse me?"

With that, she made her way out of the room and towards the elevators.

Pinkie watched her go, then turned to Havoc. "Your big sister's super duper awesome, Havoc."

"Yeah, I guess she is." Havoc grunted to hide the smile on her face, then gestured for the other two mares to follow. "C'mon, let's go."

As they rode the elevator down, Rainbow asked the question that Pinkie wanted to ask before Pinkie did; she was just too fast! "So, uh… you're getting married, huh?"

Havoc blushed and scratched her chin. "Uh, yup. Tyin' the ol' knot. I didn't think it was for me, y'know? But Cotton's… special. I figured she was worth giving it a shot."

"And hey, I'm super happy for you, dude. I didn't think it was for me, either, but Pinkie's special too," Rainbow replied, giving Pinkie a warm, loving, dopey grin that just made Pinkie swoon. "But uh… here's a question for ya: Cotton's… a mare? I heard that right, right?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Huh. Well, how 'bout that. When did you finally figure it out?"

"Figure what— oh. Oh!" Havoc laughed and slapped Rainbow's shoulder. "I get it. You think I'm gay."

"Or bi," Pinkie noted with a sagely nod. "You can be bisexual and marry a mare, silly."

"Well, yeah, that's true I guess. But that's not it. Cotton and I had a long talk about it a few years back, and we figured that I'm kinda… complicated. Strictly speaking, sure, I'm bi, but I'm probably closer to straight since I prefer dick. And, um… well, the hard part is coming to terms with the fact that I'm not completely comfortable with my body."

"I don't know what that part means," Rainbow said, tilting her head.

"Like I said: comp-li-cated." Havoc rubbed the back of her neck. "You're my best friend, so I feel okay telling you this, but like… I sometimes feel like I shouldn't have been born a mare. I know you're comfortable being a girl who likes girls, but I'm not as comfortable being a girl who mostly likes guys, even if I have unusual tastes."

Rainbow scratched her head. "I'm still kinda confused by all that, and I'm sure there's more that you're not telling me about this, but… hang on a second. You're marrying a mare, but you say you prefer stallions, right? That doesn't make sense." She looked at Pinkie. "Right? I'm not alone on this?"

Pinkie shrugged. "Yeah, I'm just as confuzzled as you are, Dashie. When you put it like that, it sounds like Havoc's marrying somepony who she shouldn't be? But she sounds like she loves this mare, and… yup. I'm lost. Especially after all that other stuff about not feeling comfortable as yourself."

Havoc let out a satisfied sigh. "You two just need to meet Cotton. We're actually a lot alike, more than I thought when we first met. It wouldn't be fair for me to spoil everything without her here, and she can explain it all better than I can anyway. Let's just say that it's complicated and leave it at that for now, yeah? Trust me, you'll like her."

Rainbow and Pinkie shared a look, shrugged, then dropped it. Pinkie figured if Havoc wanted to surprise them with her new wife-to-be, she'd let her; surprises were always fun! Except when they weren't. But this sounded like it would be! Even though it was weird and confusing and made Pinkie's head squirm trying to figure out the puzzle, it still sounded like it was a good thing.

The elevator hit the medical floor soon after they finished their conversation, and Pinkie and Rainbow followed after Havoc down the hall. Havoc turned to Pinkie briefly and said, "She's gonna fuckin' flip when she sees you."

Pinkie bounced, just once. "Ooh! I love gymnastics! Can she do anything harder than a flip? I can do a triple double if I've got enough sugar in me. But that's against regulations so I didn't get the gold medal when I went for it."

"Which I still say is a load of horseapples," Rainbow noted. "Since when is pure cane sugar a performance-enhancing substance? Sheesh, Harshwinny's new guidelines are… well, harsh, I guess."

The trio approached one of the open doors at the end hall, where Havoc gave a little knock and peeked her head in, gesturing for Pinkie and Rainbow to stop behind her as she did so that they'd stay out of sight. "Yo sis!" she called. "Guess who's back! It's me. The answer is me. And nopony else."

Pinkie heard Red Velvet's voice reply, "Havoc? Oh wow, I wasn't expecting—" There was a long pause, as pregnant as a three-humped camel. "Holy— Havoc! Your face! Wh-what happened to you? You look like you took a nap on a barbeque pit!"

Havoc paused as well. "Please tell me somepony told you what happened to me, I swear to Dad that if this is a surprise I'm gonna burn the whole building to the ground. I'll do it. Watch me."

"No no, I knew you got hurt—Curie told me—but this is the first time I'm seeing it." Pinkie heard Velvet get out of her seat and approach. "Oh wow, sis, that looks… that looks bad. Are you in any pain? Can I help in any way? You know I'm good at that kind of stuff."

"It's alright, I'm fine. Full recovery, okay? But hey, I've got a surprise for ya, so turn that frown upside down or some shhh— some stuff." Havoc then stepped fully out into the hall; Pinkie was baffled by her restraint with swearing.

"A surprise? What are you—" Red stepped out of the room and froze up instantly as soon as her eyes landed on Pinkie, who, by the way, had been barely constraining herself enough not to just barrel past Havoc and leap onto the other earth pony with all her might. "Pinkie? Is that—"

But no longer could Pinkie restrain herself; she pounced like a tiger onto Red Velvet, wrapping her up in the tightest hug she could manage. "Eeee! Red! It's so good to see you! Ahhh! This is amazing! I'm here! You're here! My Long-Lost-Twin-Sister-From-Another-World!"

Red paused for a long moment, then, in an instant, wrapped Pinkie up in her own tightest hug possible. "Oh my stars! You're here! You're really here! I can't… I can't believe it!" She broke the hug only to press her nose against Pinkie's, her eyes aglow with light and happiness. "This isn't a dream! You're really here!"

"This is the best worst day ever!" Pinkie cheered.

"Yeah, this is the— wait, what?"

Pinkie booped Red's nose gently. "It's kind of a long story, but uh, my friends and I are back because something strange and weird and probably pretty bad happened, but at least we get to see our friends again! So… yeah, worst day ever, but the best kind of worst day ever." She then tapped her chin. "Although it could be better if we'd all ended up together like last time, just not in a smelly ol' alleyway dumpster."

Red blinked, then glanced back at Havoc. "Should I ask?"

"It's complicated," Havoc replied.

"Is that the running theme for these past few chapters or what?!" Pinkie exclaimed, grinning like a madmare and throwing her hooves in the air. She booped Velvet's nose again. "We'd have been here sooner but we had to get a bunch of establishing scenes outta the way. Sorry 'bout that."

"No hey, it's cool. At least you two get your own chapter this time so we can start slowing things down now, right?" Velvet said with a smaller-but-still-ecstatic grin of her own. She glanced back at Rainbow. "Hi Rainbow, by the way. Sorry, got caught up in giving Pinkie a big ol' Reunion-Quality Bearhug. It's kind of our thing."

"Hey yeah, no prob, Red, it's cool," Rainbow snickered. "How are ya, by the way?"

"Yeah! How are you?!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I'm so sorry I didn't ask already but this is kind of a big moment for me. When we checked in on you, you were looking really sad. Is everything okay?" She paused, then gasped, then shook Red's shoulders violently. "And who are those kids?!"

Red's eyes widened. "Oh! Right! You guys should meet 'em." She effortlessly rolled out from under Pinkie and leapt to her hooves in one swift motion, then gestured for them to follow her. "C'mon! They're gonna love you."

Pinkie followed after Red into the hospital room—well, medical examination room, she supposed, since this wasn't a hospital—and saw the two young ponies that had been there before: a pegasus filly in a seat by the bed next to Velvet's empty one, and an earth pony colt in the bed. They were both looking expectantly at the doorway as Red and Pinkie walked in, their expressions becoming utterly befuddled—a wonderfully perfect silly word—as they did.

"Kids, I'd like you to meet a very very very very dear friend of mine," Red said, patting Pinkie's shoulder. "This is Pinkie Pie."

The two youngsters brightened up instantly. "Oh wow! The Cupcake Mare!" said the filly, eyes wide as saucers. "She looks just like you Miss Velvet! Is she your twin sister or something?"

Pinkie couldn't restrain her grin, but managed to ask Velvet a question through it: "'Cupcake Mare'?"

"Because you taught me the best cupcake recipe in the universe and I've been teaching it to the kids as part of their cooking classes," Velvet said matter-of-factly. "Yeah, I know, it's funny because I'm the actual Cupcake Mare on account of having a cupcake on my tush and being named after a flavor of one."

"Not to mentioned being inspired by—"

Velvet rolled her eyes. "I mean technically, yeah, but that's like… outdated or whatever. But nevermind that." She turned back to her kids and continued presenting Pinkie like a wonderful treasure, which of course she was, duh. "Now, My friend Pinkie is going to be visiting us for the next three weeks." She turned to Pinkie. "You're locked in because of the sandstorm, right?"

"Yup, that's the plot convenience this time around."

"The next three weeks," Red continued, "and I know I can count on you two and the other kids to treat her well and be super duper extra nice to her, right?"

"Sure can, Miss Velvet!" the filly said. She waved at Pinkie. "Hi, Miss Pie! My name's Marée de Rêve. It's nice to meet you!"

Pinkie cooed and resisted the urge to rush over and scoop the filly up in a hug; that would be rude and presumptuous because she was technically still a stranger. "Awww, you're the sweetest little thing in the whole wide world. It's nice to meet you too!" She then looked at the colt and gave him a big, big smile. "And who's this cutie pie?"

The colt smiled and gave a little wave of his own. "H-hello, Miss Pie. I'm C-Caramel Rye. M-My mom's told me all about you."

"Hee hee, what a little poet, rhyming like that," Pinkie giggled. She then froze, her head sharply snapping a complete ninety degrees to stare wide-eyed at Velvet. "His mom?!" She then started letting out a high-pitched squeal of joy.

Havoc, from the doorway, winced, twisting her hoof in her ear. "Yikes! Sounds like the tea's ready in here or something. Is that normal?"

"Oh yeah, this is perfectly normal," Dash replied. "She reacted like this when she found out her sister Maud was pregnant last month. Her mom was a little ticked off 'cause she broke like six glasses in their favorite set. Or when Princess Cadance found out she was pregnant. Or when Sugar Belle found out. In fact, yeah, that's just how Pinkie reacts to her friends having kids."

"Woof. How would she react if you got pregnant? Or if she got pregnant?"

"She wouldn't because that ain't gonna happen. The former, definitely; the latter… eh, we've never talked about it."

Pinkie grabbed Velvet's side and shook her violently, like she was trying to get the last bit out of a piggy bank. "Red! You're a momma! You've got a kid! A little colt! You have a son! I'm so happy for you I could die! Ahhh!"

Velvet, unbothered by being shaken in the least bit—she handled things like this better than anypony else Pinkie knew—replied, "Thanks! Before you ask, though, he's adopted. It's a sad-but-happy story that I'll tell you later. Thought that was relevant, though."

"Adopted Schmadopted. He's still your son as far as I'm concerned." Pinkie then froze, glanced at young Caramel, and her eyes widened in shock and horror. "Your son is in a hospital bed. Oh gumdrops. That's why you looked so sad. What happened?" She turned back to Velvet. "Is he okay? Is he hurt? What can I do to help? Let your Long-Long-Sister-From-Another-World know what she can do, and she'll do it."

Velvet's smile faltered for half a moment, but it returned just as quick as she gestured at Caramel. "There was… an incident, and he got hurt. He's still recovering, but Nurse Soft Touch says he'll be fit to leave in a couple of days. Until then, Marée's been bringing him his homework so he doesn't fall behind in school, and because they're best friends and totally nothing else."

Pinkie nodded; she was sure the two kids shared a look at one another and were red in the face. "Aha, I see. Well, still… is there anything I can do to help? You know me, Red, I'll jump to the moon and back if you need me to. And you have two moons, so I'll go to both."

"You know what? You'll be helping me out more than you can imagine just by being around us," Red said with a grin as she pulled Pinkie in for a side hug. "We've been needing a good dose of smiles around here lately, and if anypony's got the prescription for it, it's you. So, paging Doctor Pie, we need twenty cc's of laughter, stat."

Pinkie's grin widened and she turned to the kids. "You kids wanna hear a joke?"

The two looked at each other, then back to Pinkie, all smiles. "Sure!" they said.

"Okay. What do you call a boomerang that won't come back?"

Caramel scratched his head, while Marée tapped her chin. "I dunno, what?" Marée replied.

"A stick!" Pinkie concluded.

Pause, wait for laughter.

Caramel grinned and let out a little laugh while Marée giggled softly.

Velvet, though, guffawed—another perfectly silly word. "A stick! Ha ha ha! Oh, you oughta tell that one to Winter when you see her, I just know she'll get a kick out of it! I think she's got a pet boomerang at home or something."

Pinkie brightened. "Oh my gumdrops, you're right. Winter'll love that joke." She rubbed her neck. "Oof, it's gonna be a while before I get the chance, though. I don't think I'm gonna see her again until like Chapter Twelve, maybe? I might have to shoehorn it in there to make it work, but we both know the lengths I'll go to."

"Wow, we're really stretching out these three weeks, huh?"

Pinkie shrugged. "Hey, the first book stretched it out over like twenty-nine, so this is nothing. It's better than condensing it to a single chapter. What a cop out that would be!"

"Do you think we've stretched the meta talk out enough?"

"Yeah, fair enough. We don't want folks getting sick of it."

"So, uh, if you two want, we're gonna go get lunch," Havoc interrupted, butting her head into the conversation almost literally. "I mean, once you guys are done with all these mad ramblings that sound like what a couple of lunatics talk about when they're drunk. I haven't eaten all day and I really need to get my grub on. You're welcome to come along if ya want, but me and Dash are gonna bounce otherwise."

Pinkie poked her head past Havoc's—the positioning of the three mares was now horribly awkward with Havoc literally sandwiched between Red's butt and Pinkie's—to give Dash a bright, wide smile. "You go on and hang with Havoc, Dashie. Red and I'll get something together later, I can wait."

"You sure, Pinks?" Dash asked. ""Cause we can wait a few minutes."

"Speak for yourself, dingus!" blurted Havoc, who was having a hard time getting back out past Pinkie's tush.

"I'm sure. I've got a feeling I'm needed," Pinkie replied with a serious, confident nod. "You go on ahead, have fun."

"Well, if you're sure. Later, babe." Dash leaned in and kissed Pinkie on the cheek, then slapped Havoc on the flank, chortling as she did so. "Stop messing around, dufus. You're the one who's in a hurry to get food."

"Hey! Don't slap my ass, Dash!" Havoc exclaimed, trying to reach her hoof back to slap Dash in revenge.

Velvet hissed and grabbed Havoc's good ear like a proper scolding mother. "Hey! What did I tell you about watching your mouth around the kids, huh?"

"Ah! Lay off me, Red!" Havoc shouted as she still somehow couldn't get away from her position between Pinkie and Velvet. "Get off! Let me out! Dash! Wait for me! Hey! Get back here!"

*****

Rainbow was simultaneously impressed and not impressed by the cafeteria here in Pandora Tower. On one hoof, the food was incredible, easily some of the best she'd ever had, and she'd never even been a particularly big fan of eggplant parmesan before. Considering her last trip to this world, she hadn't been expecting real ingredients, having mentally prepared herself for the fakey-fake Dolor stuff they used out in the rest of the city.

On the other hoof, the cafeteria was smaller than she'd expected, but then she supposed that the tower wasn't as well-staffed as its size indicated. It was certainly smaller than the cafeteria at the Wonderbolts Academy had been, and also smaller than the one at the Wonderbolts Headquarters that she often ate at nowadays. But hey, the food was good, and despite the smaller size it wasn't crowded, so it wasn't really a bad thing.

But after eating a little bit and getting a chance to really collect her wits after what had been a stressful afternoon, Rainbow finally decided she needed to address the elephant in the room. There was no tactful way—Velvet proved that moments ago—to ask Havoc why half her face and the entire left side of her body had been scarred or why she was missing an eye, so she just came out and asked it.

"So, uh… what exactly happened to you on that job of yours that left you looking like you do?"

Havoc poked at her food and let out a sigh. "Okay, well… look, it's obviously been a while since you've been here, so there's some context you don't exactly know about. You remember how the last thing that happened before you left was that my dad became like an alicorn god?"

"Yeah, I remember," Rainbow said, leaning back in her seat and relaxing. "The fact that he basically used me and my friends to make it work doesn't bother me anymore, y'know? I mean, I get it. There's this famous old skyball player where I'm from, and he's got this great quote: 'You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take'. He saw an opportunity to finally beat Nihila and took it. Good for him."

"Well hey, glad you're okay with it now, I guess. You guys didn't seem too happy about it back when it happened."

"Oh yeah, word, and it's definitely still a sore point for Twi, y'know? But then she knew more about your dad's past than we did so she's got more context than we do. I figure what's done is done."

"Ah." Havoc cleared her throat. "So, uh, anyway, after he went all god-mode, Pops told us that he'd had a plan for what to do after beating Nihila, which was basically fixing all the bad shit he had to do to keep her from figuring out that he was gonna stab her in the back. But since he sort of… y'know, couldn't exist in a physical body anymore, he asked us to help."

Rainbow blinked. "I don't know what that means. He can't exist? What?"

Havoc rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, okay, uh… he's ascended to this like… other place? It's hard for me to describe it. Dawn knows more than I do, and she's the only one of us still able to even talk to him. But that doesn't matter, what matters is, he asked us to carry on his work. Curie'd been working with him on the prepwork for it, and after he left, she laid out the plan.

"The biggest part of it was making peace with Hope's Point, 'cause we were sort of at war with them and shit, and I guess as long as that was still going there was no way the north would ever really recover. So Curie worked with Lockwood to start some diplomatic stuff, and Dawn worked with our government to get them to approve of it. Long story short, it's been working for the last six years."

"Awesome! That's good news, right?" Rainbow asked.

"Hell yeah it is."

"So, what does this have to do with your injuries?"

Havoc sighed again. "Well, earlier this week was supposed to be the big day, y'know? Queen Blackburn herself—somepony who's hated New Pandemonium since she was just a kid—was coming up north to sign the official peace treaty. She brought Lockwood along 'cause he's her husband and the king and whatever, and they even brought their kids with 'em 'cause they wanted them to meet Curie's daughter Jellybean—"

Rainbow's eyes widened. "Wow, everypony's been having kids since we've gone. Curie didn't mention that earlier."

"I guess she just wants to get your living arrangements all set up first. Trust me, she'll won't keep her kid from you." Havoc grinned widely. "And you'll love lil' Jellybean. But yeah, kids all over the place. Curie's got a daughter, Gray's got a daughter, Red adopted a son… and so did Gray, actually, and then Lockwood's got two kids. Families're sprouting up around here like weeds.

"Anyway, uh…" Havoc leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "So, like I said, Queen Bee's hated this city since she was just a kid. Long story there, too, and it's real personal for her, so when you meet her I'll let her tell ya. But the NPAF up here ain't much better. There're soldiers we've got who were born and raised to hate Hope's Point then trained to fight against them for years and years. A lot of them weren't willing to turn the other cheek, I guess.

"So… when Blackburn and her family and some of her friends were coming up here to sign the treaty, a gaggle of jackasses got together, hijacked one of our toughest warships, and tried to fuck everything up by killing the royal family. I mean, it didn't work in the end, but they got pretty close to it. Lockwood's bodyguard got hurt, the kids are still pretty spooked about it, Blackburn's pissed, and… and one of her friends was killed."

Rainbow leaned forward and set her hoof on Havoc's. "That's… wow, that's rough. My condolences, for what it's worth. Why can't ponies just learn to get along, huh?" She shook her head. "So is that how you got hurt? Were you there when this all happened?"

"Yeah. I was the only asset out in the field 'cause I was gonna meet Blackburn as she was coming in. We're pretty good friends, y'know, so she wanted to make sure I got my due since Dawn sure wasn't gonna fucking do it."

"Sounds like this Blackburn likes you." With a slight grin, Rainbow nudged Havoc's shoulder. "Can't imagine why."

"Heh. Please. I'm the most awesome pony on the whole damn continent. How could she not?"

"Second-most awesome now, duderino. Or did you forget who you're talking to?"

Havoc smiled briefly, then took a breath and continued. "So yeah, I got fucked up pretty bad trying to make sure nothing happened to them. I got there too late to save Blackburn's friend Briarthorn, though, but… I did it. I saved the rest of them. All by myself."

"I thought you said these jerks stole a warship? How'd you manage that?"

Havoc brightened. "Because even though it took me seven damn years, I finally did it, Dash. I did the thing. Your thing." She gestured with her hooves. "Boom! Supersonic speed, bitch. How do ya like me now?"

Rainbow broke out into a wide grin. "No way, really? You did it? Ha! I knew you had it in you, shortstack. How did it feel going that fast for yourself, huh?"

"Like everything around me was just a blur, really." Havoc rubbed the back of her head. "To be honest, I don't remember too much about the details. There was a lot going on when it happened, and I didn't have time to process it 'cause I got hurt real bad before I did it. But I know I did it 'cause Blackburn saw it happen."

"Do you think you could do it again? I only ask because it took me years before I was able to pull off another Sonic Rainboom, and then I had to train myself for months before I was able to start doing it on demand."

Havoc nodded. "I think I can do it again, sure. I'll have to wait until after the sandstorm before I can start practicing, but yeah… yeah, I can do it."

"Awesome. So, what're you gonna call it?"

"Huh?"

"Your version, what're you gonna call it? You can't call it the Sonic Rainboom, 'cause I've got that baby totally trademarked and I'll sue your butt off if you call it that." Rainbow chuckled, then gestured for Havoc to continue. "So? What're you gonna call yours?"

Havoc's eyes widened and she looked at the floor. "Oh shit, yeah, I never even thought about that. If this is my big deal, I've gotta name it, right? What about, uh… Sonic Heatwave? 'Cause when I did it, I made this like, massive amount of heat. That's how I took down the airship: I just melted right through it."

Rainbow whistled. "Well, alright, that's a cool visual. Sonic Heatwave, though? Hmm… it's alright," she said, tilting her hoof to and fro. "It's not as easy for you to make it cool like Rainboom, I know. Benefit of my name being Rainbow, benefit of the shockwave having those rainbow colors. I mean, 'Heatwave' is descriptive, sure, but kinda lame."

"Sonic… Meltabeam? 'Cause I melted through the ship like a laser beam?"

"That doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Sonic Meteorblast? Meteorboom? Meteors burn up in the sky and stuff, and your cutie mark's a meteorite." Rainbow shrugged. "It kind of fits, don't it?"

"Sonic Meteorboom… hmm." Havoc tapped her chin, then shook her head. "I'm gonna need to go over a bunch of these, but I like the direction we're going. Y'know what, I'll ask Blackburn too, she might have an idea. She saw the whole thing from a spectator's perspective, so she might have a better clue of what it looked like. I was kinda, y'know, blind with rage."

"Fair enough, no rush. You can't rush greatness." Rainbow smirked and leaned back in her seat again. "So, you're good friends with this Blackburn, huh? You said she's Lockwood's main squeeze and stuff?"

Havoc chuckled. "Yeah, Queen Bee's awesome. You'd like her. She's a damn good flyer, she's got this, like, aura around her that just makes you feel her authority. You know me, I'm not big on authority and shit, but with her, it's just… different. And their kids? Oh, cute like you wouldn't believe. Especially Bluebolt, their daughter, she's just… she's precious."

"Wow. This is a side of you I never thought I'd see," Rainbow said, wide-eyed. "I didn't think you'd like kids."

"Not all kids, no, just specific kids. Ooh, that reminds me, I've gotta introduce you to my junior skyball team soon. They're great kids too, you'll love 'em. Huge fans of the Rockets, which naturally includes you."

"Hey, speaking of which, how's the old team? Oh! Did we win the championship?"

Havoc grinned and thumped her chest. "Undefeated that season, baby. Took home the trophy and made those fuckstick Wizards eat shit. But, uh, I'll save you a lot of the details for what happened after that season, and get right to where we are now."

"Alright, fair enough."

"First off, the Rockets are going pro next season, but keep that shit to yourself, got it? I'm saving it as a surprise for my junior team 'cause they're big fans, like I said. We've got mostly the same line-up as when you left, 'cept Gallop retired from playing and is now the team's coach, and, uh… I don't play with them anymore either."

"What? Why not? You're like the best blocker I've ever seen."

"True, true, and that's not changing anytime soon, but them's the breaks. Y'see, you're not allowed to play with the team if you own the team."

Rainbow blinked, stunned. "You… own the Rockets?"

"Yup!" Havoc scuffed a hoof on her chest. "Sole ownership, too, none of that 'owned by a corporation' bullshit like the Trailblazers got. Rainslick handles the day-to-day, I just make sure we're on the track I want us to be on, which is being the best fucking team in the fucking league. That's not changing anytime soon, either. I know he'll handle things when I move south. I can just visit once in a while to check on things."

"Wow, you… things really have changed around here," Rainbow muttered, sinking down in her chair. "I'm a little embarrassed, actually, 'cause to be honest it's pretty much the same-old same-old story back home, except for a few things here and there. I mean, at least compared to what you guys have been going through."

"Heh, as much as I wanna say otherwise, it's not a competition, Dash. Everypony goes through life at their own pace."

"I dunno, it feels like it kinda is though?" Rainbow slapped her hoof on the table. "Dang, this means I've gotta step up my game if I'm gonna top you. You're a higher rank than me, and you own a sports team."

Havoc grinned. "Yeah, well, you got married first, so hey, there's that."

"Yeah, okay, fair enough. Speaking of, this Cotton chick sounds pretty special if you're willing to risk the Wastelands and this sandstorm to get back to her."

"Yeah… yeah, she is."

"Well, why don't you tell me a little bit about her? You don't have to tell me whatever it is that makes it not weird that you're marrying a mare yet consider yourself straight, 'cause that's still buggin' me, but I won't pry about it. Like, let's start with how you guys met."

Havo's grin widened. "Well, that all started with my first trip down to Hope's Point…"

*****

"You're sure those two are gonna be okay all alone?" Pinkie asked.

Velvet tenderly patted Pinkie's shoulder. "Definitely. Caramel's a good colt and won't go off doing anything he shouldn't be, and Marée'll make sure he stays on track with his homework. She's really responsible, y'know. They're perfectly safe in the tower, too; nothing gets in here without Dawn or Curie knowing about it, and besides that, there're like fifty perimeter guards outside."

"Hmm, alright, that definitely seems like it's safe."

Velvet then clapped her hooves together. "You're gonna love this, by the way. I normally wouldn't have rushed you, but this is the perfect time to be coming down here. My kids are just finishing their classes and homework for today, so everypony should be easy to get together before they all head off for freetime."

"You keep mentioning 'your' kids," Pinkie observed, tapping her chin. "I thought you'd only adopted Caramel? You didn't act like Marée was also your daughter."

"Ah, that's because these kids aren't really 'mine' so to speak. I didn't adopt all of them like I did with Caramel, but that's just, like… a formality." Velvet gave a happy sigh. "But I still treat them all like they're mine, love 'em like they're mine, praise them and punish them like they're mine, because… well, they are. Pedigree and I are basically their parents."

"Who's Pedigree?"

"You'll get to meet him soon enough, and you'll like him too, I promise. He's busy today with some work that Dawn had for him, so he's not gonna be in the facility, but maybe tomorrow." As the elevator doors opened, Velvet gestured out. "Ooh, I'm so excited! C'mon, this is gonna be a blast."

Pinkie followed Velvet out onto another of the tower's floors, this one large enough to accommodate what looked like both a large classroom judging by the arrangement and appearance of the desks, and a big social area with chairs, tables, and couches. Occupying this space were a few dozen youngsters, colts and fillies alike of all the different pony tribes, many of whom were busy socializing or studying.

Velvet dramatically cleared her throat to get the room's attention. "Okay, everypony! I've got an announcement to make, so gather 'round! Gather 'round, kids! Assembly time!"

The kids didn't even hesitate, they just went immediately to where Velvet and Pinkie were waiting, stopping whatever they were doing as they did so. All of them just as quickly gave all of their attention to Pinkie Pie, eyes wide with curiosity; several of them even started whispering to one another in hushed tones. Pinkie figured she did draw a lot of attention on account of how Marée and Caramel had reacted.

"Hello, everypony. How are we all doing today?" Velvet asked.

"Good, Miss Velvet," came the collective reply.

"Great! Okay then, listen up everypony, because I have a very special guest with me," Velvet continued, getting the group's attention again rather easily. She gestured to Pinkie like she was a delicate piece of art. "This… is my good good good friend Pinkie Pie. Everypony say 'hello'."

The kids, in unison, said, "Hello Miss Pinkie Pie." Though a few said "Hi" instead of hello, and a few omitted either the Pinkie or the Pie from Pinkie Pie. They all did say "Miss" at least, that was universal.

"She's visiting us from very very very far away, and is going to be in town for the next few weeks," Velvet turned to Pinkie and gestured at the kids. "Pinkie, these are the Shadows—don't ask, the name's stuck. They're my kids; my students."

Pinkie brightened up immensely. "Oh my gumdrops, Red, you're a teacher? That's awesome!" She waved at the class of colts and fillies. "Hi, everypony! I'm Pinkie Pie, like Miss Velvet said. It's so nice to meet all of you!"

Velvet turned back to the class. "Now, I want everypony to be on their bestest best behavior around Miss Pinkie, okay? She's very special to me, and I want her to feel special to all of you too, because I just know she's going to like all of you just like I do. So, before I let you all get back to your studies, are there any questions?"

Hooves shot up across the entire lot.

Velvet pointed at one, a unicorn filly with a creamy brown coat and a long pink mane that was accessorized with dozens of clips. "Razzle?"

"Is this the Cupcake Mare?" the filly named Razzle asked, eyes wide with awe.

"This is the Cupcake Mare, yes, the same one that taught me the cupcake recipe I've taught to many of you. She made the recipe herself and everything, and she's even better at it than I am." Velvet nudged Pinkie gently. "Isn't that right, Pinkie?"

Pinkie nodded rapidly; she was finding it hard to contain her glee at seeing so many cute faces looking at her with such rapt attention. "Yup! Sure is! I came up with it all by myself and taught Miss Velvet how to do it. I even wrote a song to help memorize the recipe!" With a glance at Velvet, who was nodding enthusiastically and expectantly, Pinkie cleared her throat. "Do you wanna hear it?"

There was a rush of affirmative responses, from cheers and claps to giggles and stamps, and many of them vocalized just how much they wanted to hear it with simple words.

Well, never let anypony tell you Pinkie doesn't know how to give the audience what they want. So, with a flourish of hooves, she prepared herself to get into the swing of things, and then…

"♫All you have to do is take a cup of flour,

Add it to the mix!♫"

*****

It was late at night when Dawn entered her bedchambers and prepared herself for a good night's rest. Her process was methodical and she'd never once broken from it in the past several years that she called this room her own. She started by removing her day clothes and taking a shower, then donning her favorite bedrobe, brushing her mane, and putting a record onto her record player to ease her stress and lull her to sleep. Tonight, a blissful selection of tunes from a collection dedicated to the sounds of the southern oceans.

As she settled herself into her extravagantly large bed—it had once belonged to her father, a far larger pony than she—she allowed herself to relax and take in the music. Her routine had become so ingrained into her soul that it was as effortless as breathing to fall into slumber, which was where she would be able to focus her inner essence on the next task at hoof: contacting her father.

She allowed her essence to flow around her, an unconscious effort that required no more consideration than one would need to react to a sudden sound or sensation. It was simply automatic, so long as she knew she needed to do it. She did not reach out to her father every night, but did so often enough that she had grown accustomed to it, so accustomed in fact that it was practically normal, a quaint thought considering that her father was an immortal alicorn god who resided in an immaterial metaphysical realm.

When she opened her eyes, she was still in her bed, but her bed was no longer in her room. Instead it was in an empty expanse of darkness lit but no discernable light source. She rose from her bed and set her hooves on the solid-yet-nonexistent ground, tugged her bedrobe around her—it was always a little chilly in this realm-between-realms—and called out to her father, not with words with sheer willpower.

His response was immediate. "Dawn," his voice boomed from both all around her and yet also directly before her.

The emptiness immediately in front of Dawn's eyes swiftly coalesced into the form of her father, the great Lord Silvertongue.

A stallion of enviable stature even when he was just a unicorn, he was now a towering figure with an imposing frame and a presence of immeasurable strength. His features were elongated compared to even what could be expected of a stallion his size, with a long, sharp horn and wide, powerful wings. His golden mane flowed behind him like a field of sunlight; his silver-white coat shined in the nonexistent sun. While one of his eyes was a beautiful blue, the other was made entirely of golden light. His body was otherwise shrouded behind a patch of pure darkness that he wore like a cloak. This was for Dawn's sensibilities, nothing more.

As far as Dawn was concerned, he was the peak of perfection; nopony in all of existence could compare to him, even her, though she would never deign to compare herself to him. That would be no different than comparing a streetlamp to the sun.

"Father, it pleases me to commune with you in these more ideal circumstances," Dawn said simply, stepping forward and looking up at her father's handsome face. "I regret that our prior two communications involved such an exasperating state of affairs. Now we can speak privately and in a more pleasant atmosphere."

"Hmm, that is certainly one way of looking at it," Silvertongue replied, tilting his head. "This situation involving Pandemonia is not one that can be treated lightly. I trust that you have already set about your duties in your agreed-upon role in the grand scheme of things?"

She nodded. "I have. Locating Nihila and this 'cult' of hers, as you described them, is to be my utmost priority; every resource at my disposal will be utilized for this task, I assure you. I will not fail."

He paused, raising an eyebrow as he gazed upon her. "Something troubles you, though. Speak, Dawn. I can sense your anxiety."

She tapped her hooves together. "Indeed. Another complication has arisen that could potentially draw my attention away from the grave importance of my other task. I seek advice on the proper methodology for handling the situation, as you would be more familiar with it than I am."

He stepped around her. "Finding Nihila is critical to the salvation of our entire world, Dawn. What sort of complication could possibly serve as a distraction from that?"

"Twilight Sparkle and her companions have returned to our world."

That gave him pause, and he turned to face her, eyes alight with curiosity. "Say that again? Did you say that the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony have returned?"

She nodded. "Precisely so, though I prefer a more personal method of addressing Twilight. She is my friend; it feels… awkward, to me, to refer to her by such an exact and impersonal title."

"I see. That would explain the odd sensation of… familiarity that I detected earlier today." Silvertongue remained silent for a brief moment, which Dawn knew to him might as well have been an hour or longer; his mind worked faster in this state than it had in his mortal body. "This does complicate matters, and at a time when complications are ill-afforded. What more can you tell me about the situation?"

"Their group was separated as they transitioned into our world. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie entered Pandora Tower, where they currently reside as our guests. Rarity and Fluttershy are in the care of Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood. All accounts thus far indicate that these two pairs are safe and unharmed, and will acclimate well to their new living conditions for the time being.

"As for Twilight and Applejack, while I lack concrete evidence, I have theorized that they are in the vicinity of Winter Glow and her apprentice, somewhere within Goldridge. Unfortunately, I cannot triangulate their location due to the accursed sandstorm that plagues the continent at present. It will be some time before I can ascertain their fate."

"The sandstorm? Ah… damn it all," Silvertongue snorted. "Of all the inconvenient timing. Had I known that my efforts would have such a dramatic effect on the northern climate then I would have played a more patient game and worked more slowly."

Dawn tilted her head. "Hmm? What do you mean, Father?"

"The sandstorm is indirectly my doing. I have not spent these past seven years twiddling my hooves, my dear. I have engaged in many projects to help usher in a new era in the north, to return the land to a state where it is no longer a forsaken wasteland of death and hopelessness. One of these projects was the reintegration of weather patterns, much as how the southern continent has rain and snow and wind. It would seem as if my efforts have been… twisted."

"You mean… you havebeen manifesting these sandstorms over the years? Including this one, which is dangerous enough that our entire city must enter into lockdown status?"

"Again, not directly. It would appear to be a result of the Dark magic of the Beacon corrupting my efforts, for the Beacon's Darkness and my own are not in precise alignment. It twists my efforts at times, stalls them in others, but there is little I can do to avoid such potentialities." He shook his head and sighed. "An unfortunate irony. In my efforts to assist in northern growth, I have created a horror that stymies communication and travel."

Dawn set her hoof on her father's side. "It is not your fault, Father. A minor miscalculation, one that is only a temporary nuisance, nothing more."

"But an inconvenient one, given the circumstances." Silvertongue closed his eyes and shook his head again. "Quite inconvenient. If Nihila truly still lives, the return of those six mares would be of keen interest to her and whatever goals she may have for they would serve as a counterbalance. I am glad to hear that you have two of them under your protection and that two others are in the care of our allies in Hope's Point. But the lack of knowledge pertaining to Twilight and Applejack is… concerning."

"Is there nothing you can do?"

He stroked his chin. "Perhaps. I must act carefully, lest I sully my efforts within another project of mine. It has been extremely delicate work, and bending the foundation I have placed could potentially break it. I must be cautious."

Dawn smiled and nodded. "If anypony can accomplish such a task, Father, it is you. I have utmost faith in your capabilities."

"Indeed." Silvertongue took a long pause, then looked straight at Dawn. "It is good that you communicated with me so soon after your visit to Hope's Point, my dear. Now that this other business has been made known to me, I would have words with you regarding said visit. Information was brought to light that concerns me greatly."

Dawn nodded again. "Indeed, Father. This business with Pandemonia—"

"No, Dawn. That isn't what concerns me, not at this moment." His gaze hardened. "I wish to speak with you about some pieces of information that I was not made aware of until I looked into the heart of your sister, Gray Skies. Her being was opened before me like a book, a metaphorical book which I thought I already owned, and yet I have discovered that my copy is missing pages, no, entire chapters."

"I do not understand what you mean, Father," she replied, eyebrow raised. "Are you… are you upset with her? Why? What did Gray do wrong?"

"Dawn. My daughter, my dearest, darling daughter… when were you planning on telling me that your sister was a wife and mother? That she had a daughter of her own, birthed from a union with a stallion whom she loves and married? Why is it that I only learned of this by sheer happenstance?"

She paused, confused, then said, "I viewed the information as unimportant and inconsequential to our goals. You entrusted me with a single mission: healing the northern lands, bringing peace and prosperity to our society and that of our allies. To that end, I have forged diplomatic relations with Hope's Point, I have ensured that the citizens of our city are allowed to succeed and prosper, to shrink the divide in social classes, to ensure that our resources are maintained far into the future.

"Every tidbit of information that I learn in relation to this goal, no matter how small, I share with you with all due expediency. But my sister's marriage and motherhood… these things are unrelated to fostering success. Why would they matter?" She shook her head. "I do not understand why this information pertains to you, Father."

Silvertongue stared at her for a long moment, and she wasn't sure if he was upset or confused or curious or what; his expression was utterly unreadable, impossibly stoic and flat to the point that he was more statue than stallion.

When at last he spoke, he said in a perfectly calm, flat tone, "Dawn, my dear… there are a great many things in this world more important than the success of one's plans. I gave such things up myself, and there are times when I truly, deeply regret what I have wrought to accomplish the impossible. I had hoped you would not do the same."

"What does that mean, Father? Please, I must know."

"My daughter, this is not something I can explain to you in succinct terms. It is a lesson that you must learn for yourself."

In an instant, he vanished, as if he'd never been there in the first place.

Dawn stepped forward and looked about, trying to find any trace of him. "Father? Father! I… I do not understand! Please, do not leave! I have more questions! Father!"

Dawn then awoke with a jolt, feeling herself covered in a thin layer of sweat. She grumbled, pressing her head to her temple and supposing that it was time to wake up and get to work for the day. Her conversations with her father, even briefer ones than this, tended to last until the proper morning hours.

However, when she glanced at the clock on her nightstand, it told her that it was still nighttime; barely an hour had passed. So, as Dawn set her head back down on her pillow and stared up at the ceiling, she could only wonder what had gone wrong. She'd gathered that her father was… disappointed with her for not sharing such inconsequential facts with him, but she didn't know why.

What she did know was that she wasn't likely to get an adequate night's rest tonight.

Chapter Four: Rancor

Applejack followed along after Winter and Hourglass as they moved deeper into the caves, doing what she could to make sure Twilight was keeping up with the pace. Her friend was definitely not as fine and dandy as she was trying to claim she was, and though she could walk on her own it was clear she was severely drained physically and mentally. And, more than that, emotionally.

Applejack had never had the experience of meeting a friend again after a long, long time and having them be so… hostile. Rara—Coloratura—certainly hadn't acted like that towards her after all the years they'd spent apart, but then she supposed that she hadn't done anything to rile Coloratura up like that.

Still, it was no excuse for that kind of behavior; Winter was out of line, no matter how angry she might have been. Twilight was her friend; friends didn't treat friends like that.

She wanted to talk to Twilight and make sure that she was okay, but Twilight didn't seem to be in the mood to talk. And that was fine; Applejack knew when it was appropriate to give a friend some space. She didn't like seeing Twilight like this, though, and she knew that she had to do something about it, whatever that might be. But what?

By the time the quartet made their way through the caves and into a wider cavern where they could make camp, Twilight was thoroughly exhausted and practically collapsed right onto the stone floor. Applejack helped her get into a more comfortable position, the most she could realistically do with what she had available to her, then sat by her side to make sure that she stayed comfortable.

"So what exactly is the plan here?" she asked, looking right at Winter, who was busy setting up a bedroll for herself. "What're y'all doin' after this, and how're we gonna help Twilight with this here… ley line thingy?"

Winter grunted and straightened out her bedroll—it was sized for her and so wouldn't fit Twilight at all even if you really stretched it out, and it might barely be able to keep Applejack comfortable, so Applejack didn't comment on how she didn't offer it—then kept going about setting up the camp as she explained.

"There's a set of ruins down here in the caves, used to belong to the old gryphon civilization before Silvertongue wiped them out on Nihila's orders," she said. "Hourglass and I were headin' there to take some readings on the Light and Darkness levels of our world. The balance got thrown outta whack a couple of weeks ago, and we're tryin' to find a way to fix it. 'Cause that's our job."

"Speaking of which," Hourglass interjected, "if Twilight and her friends are back in our world, wouldn't that throw the balance off like it did last time they were here? I remember you making a point about that."

"Maybe, and I'm already accountin' for a difference in the levels based on what I measured last time they were here, though I might need to recalculate seein' as Twilight's an alicorn all of sudden. And considerin' they're Light-aligned, if anythin', it helps us in the short term." Winter shook her head. "But it's irrelevant anyway. Once we put together the means to send 'em back where they belong, their effect on things won't matter."

"Is yer world in trouble or somethin'?" Applejack asked.

"It's really none of your business," Winter snorted. "But yes, it is. Hence why we need to get those readings taken to see how much trouble we're in and how long we have to fix it. It's bloody complicated, and you lot bein' here doesn't exactly make things easier. But then when do us Chronomancers ever get anythin' done easy, eh?"

"Well, maybe we can help? It's the least we could do."

"Please. You've 'helped' enough as it is. Beside tryin' to make sure this world doesn't collapse into the Void, I have to make sure that yours doesn't either. Again." Winter shook her head. "Seems like I'm always cleanin' up your messes. Fuckin' typical."

Applejack took a breath so that she didn't say anything else; Winter was getting on her nerves something fierce, but she needed to be the bigger mare in this situation.

Not that that was hard.

Winter gestured at Applejack and Twilight with her hoof. "Tell me again why you lot ended up here again? Why did ya think tryin' out this spell of yours was a good idea?"

"I just wanted to see you again," Twilight said, composed enough that she wasn't breathing heavily between words anymore. Applejack was glad to see she was at least starting to feel a little better. "I haven't seen you in so long, and I… I wanted to see you again, if only for a minute. I missed you, Winter."

Winter stared at her for a moment, then shook her head and went back to her work. "So ya made up a spell that would let ya see me again, eh? Well, congratulations, it worked. Too well, in fact." Her expression turned sour. "What in the world were you thinkin'? What kind of a idiotic reasonin' is that? We're worlds apart, Twilight; there's no sense in thinkin' on the past."

"I calculated every potential outcome and accounted for it. The spell worked, yes, but—"

"You think that I've been reminiscin' of times long gone, eh? Ya think I wanted to see you again? Because if ya think that, ya really oughta get your head checked. I spent weeks workin' to send ya back home in the first place; ya really think that after all that, I'd ever want to think about you ever again?" Winter shook her head. "'Cause I didn't. Never crossed my mind."

Now, Applejack had always been an honest pony, and because of that she'd gotten pretty good over the years about telling when somepony else was fibbing. She had a lot of practice with Apple Bloom running around and getting older, making sure her little sister wasn't lying to get out of chores or homework, or that she was going where she said she was going and with whom she was going with.

Applejack didn't actually mind if she was doing something she may or may not approve of—fillies would be fillies—but she just wanted to be sure that Bloom was honest about it and being safe.

So, after getting so good at spotting lies, big or small, Applejack had to take a second to stand in awe at how much of a bold-faced lie Winter just told. But why in the world was she lying about this? What was the point?

"And even if I did," Winter continued, "I'm not stupid or desperate enough to risk tearin' my whole fuckin' world apart just to see you one more time."

Okay, that much was true, Applejack noted.

"I'm sorry…" Twilight murmured. "Really, I am. I took every precaution, I tested the spell in controlled environments over a hundred times, I even made sure that I had outside assistance to triple-check my calculations. I did everything right, Winter. I… I did everything right…"

"Hmph. And yet here you are."

"Lay off her already, Winter," Applejack snorted, rising to her hooves and approaching the mare. "She's already beatin' herself up o'er this whole thing."

"Good! She should be!" Winter snapped. "Do you have any idea how much of a clusterfuck I'm in right now because of this? I have my duties to attend to, and those can't be ignored; this entire world depends on me doin' my job. So I have to get to those ruins, and quickly, before the residual magics evaporate and I lose my chance at accurate readings.

"But with Twilight here in the state she's in, I can't move at the same pace I need to move at. Not to mention that I don't have the bloody supplies we need to make sure she recovers properly, not to mention you bein' another mouth to feed as well, because we're likely to be in the ruins for a while. I'm wrackin' my brain tryin' to figure out a way to do both, because as much as I need to do my job I can't just leave Twilight like this. I'm not heartless."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you're a real saint, ain'tcha? Tell ya what, y'all just go on, get goin', an' tell me the way through these here caves so I can get Twi some help. Or don't, I don't care, I'll figure a way through myself."

"Don't be stupid. These caves are a bloody maze, ya won't find your way through without a proper map, and I don't have one to loan out because it's in my Timekeeper, which I need to take those readings."

"Then what do you suggest we do, huh? 'Cause ya sure don't sound like you've got any ideas, and hey, I'll admit that that was my only idea."

"Um, if I may?" Hourglass interjected. "I have a thought that might work out for all of us."

Winter rubbed her temple. "By all means, please."

"What if we split up? Winter, you can take Twilight through the caves back to the Checkpoint. You know the way better than I do, and you know routes to take that'll avoid passing through the sandstorm once you get outside. I'll take your Timekeeper with me and keep moving to the ruins. I know how to take the readings, and I memorized the route there from our planning session."

Winter raised an eyebrow and looked like she was about to retort, but she thought it over and instead replied, "That's not a bad idea, actually. But are ya sure ya can handle it? This is critically important, Hourglass, so unless you're absolutely certain ya know what you're doin' and can gather the data we need, then forget about it. I didn't suggest it because I didn't know if ya wanted to take the shot."

Hourglass nodded firmly. "I can do this, Winter. I know that I'm not officially a Chronomancer yet, but you've trained me well, and I'm ready for my first real assignment. And if I do this right, HQ'll pretty much have to promote me."

"Hmm… alright then, if you're sure." Winter took the little pocket watch from her sweater pocket and passed it over towards Hourglass, but kept a hold on it for now. "This is a big responsibility I'm givin' ya, Hourglass, you understand that, right? I just want to make sure ya think you're ready for this, so forgive me if I repeat myself."

"I'm ready, Winter." She reached her hoof out to take the Timekeeper.

Winter hesitated for a moment, then set the watch into Hourglass's hoof. "Be careful with this, and stick to just the data-gathering functions. Got it? No messin' around with other features unless it's a life-or-death emergency."

"Yes, Winter."

"And once ya finish takin' your readings, stay put in the ruins and wait for me to come get ya, arlight? I don't want ya wandering through the caves without knowin' where you're goin', and yes, I know there's a map function in that thing, but I'd rather know where ya are and come get ya myself than sit on my ass at the Checkpoint and hope you're alright and comin' my way."

"You got it, Winter. I'll stay put and wait for you. You can count on me, I promise."

"Good." Winter turned to Applejack and Twilight. "I don't like it much, but it's a good solution and I doubt we'll think of anythin' better before we have to get movin'. Let's all get some sleep, and then the three of us'll head off to the Checkpoint in the mornin'."

"Actually, Winter?" Hourglass interjected again. "Would you mind if I asked Applejack to stay with me?"

Applejack blinked. "What? Me?"

"Why?" asked Winter.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know what I might find on my way to and through the ruins, considering everything we've dealt with already down here lately." Hourglass gave Applejack a warm smile. "I'd feel safer having somepony with me, and you can't spare yourself, obviously. Applejack seems like a resourceful mare; she could come in handy."

"And what about your supplies? You only have enough food to last six days. We were supposed to take care of our readings then move back to the Checkpoint to wait out the storm. I can spare some of mine, but not enough for two of ya."

"I can ration it, Winter, don't worry about me." Hourglass tilted her head at Applejack. "If that's alright with you? I don't want to impose, and if you don't want to come along with me, I understand. Keeping an eye on Twilight is important."

"I mean… yeah, but…" Applejack scratched her chin. "I don't much like a young mare like yerself goin' off on her own like this. I sure as heck didn't like Apple Bloom headin' off someplace all alone, an' I know I'd get mighty ornery if I heard Rarity let Sweetie Belle do the same, so I wouldn't feel right lettin' y'all go like this." She glanced at Twilight. "But—"

"It's alright, Applejack," Twilight said with a soft smile. "I'll be okay. I'll have Winter with me."

"That's what I'm worried 'bout." Applejack grunted, then turned to Hourglass and nodded. "Alright, I'll go wit' ya just ta make sure nothin' happens ta ya. I'd feel mighty guilty if ya got hurt on account o' tryin' ta make this thing work out."

Hourglass smiled. "Wonderful! Glad to have you aboard, Applejack."

"Well alright, if we've got things all settled up, let's get some sleep so we can get up bright and early," said Winter as she settled into her bedroll. "I'm bloody well rooted, I tell ya, so let's not dawdle."

"Sounds good ta me, Applejack said. She stepped back over to Twilight and settled down next to her. "Ya sure you're gonna be alright goin off wit' Winter alone, Twi? It's not too late fer me ta back out, much as I don't like it."

"I'll be fine, AJ," Twilight mumbled as she settled herself into a comfortable position, casually placing her wing over Applejack in the process. "Thank you, though, for being so concerned. I'm glad that I've got you with me, even if just for now. We'll see each other again soon."

"Alright Twi… just be careful, okay?"

"I will. You too."

With that, Applejack set her head against Twilight's side and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

*****

Twilight followed Winter through the caverns the following morning, and found that her increased size was surprisingly not as much of a handicap as she'd thought it would be. The caverns, at least the ones Winter was leading her through, were large enough to comfortably fit a creature much larger than her. A curious consideration, since they were nearly uniformly arranged in such a way that she never once had to squeeze or duck or anything of the sort; she could relax her wings, even, and not worry about scraping them along the walls.

The curiosities didn't end there, either, as the tunnels seemed remarkably natural and yet sculpted all at once. Sculpted, of course, because of the aforementioned size accommodation, and because of the fact that gemstones littered the walls and floor in such a way that she noticed a pattern in how they were arranged. Certain sections possessed a larger quantity of certain gems; the section she and Winter were in now mostly contained emeralds, but they'd passed through one that was mostly topaz earlier.

There was no way this cavern was a natural formation, and yet everything about it looked perfectly natural. Rough, natural rock made up the walls, floors, and ceiling, the gemstones were uncut and seemed naturally-formed, and the slopes and turns throughout the cavern weren't perfectly straight or organized in a way that she could navigate easily.

Winter had not been exaggerating; the tunnels were a maze, and without a guide she would have surely gotten lost by now.

It was all very curious, and Twilight wanted so badly to stay and study it all to try and figure out why these caverns looked the way they did. But there was just no way that was going to happen right now; maybe later, though, once she was feeling better?

Speaking of guides, Winter was only a few feet in front of her. She was there, walking along and leading Twilight through the caves like a proper guide would. She was real. This was not some fantasy that she'd somehow devised in a state of delirium following her injury at the hooves of… whatever it was that had sabotaged her spell. And that had all been real, too; the sharp, stinging pain in her horn and head was testament to that.

But Winter seemed… off. Well, that was only obvious given how she'd reacted to Twilight and Applejack popping back into her life, but there was more to it than that. The other mare was angry, yes, that much was abundantly clear, but there was a sense of discomfort there in how Winter was acting that was definitely not at all like the Winter who Twilight remembered, the mare who was courageous and witty and confident all rolled into a small, wonderful little package.

"Winter?" Twilight said, trying to get her friend's attention as they rounded another set of corners and entered into a larger cavern. "Um… I just wanted to say again, that… that I'm sorry. I never wanted this to happen… not like this anyway."

"So ya keep sayin'," Winter muttered without looking back. "And if ya keep sayin' it, maybe, just maybe, I'll accept it. But as it stands right now, Twilight, ya fucked up royally, and now I've gotta clean up your mess. I never figured we'd ever see each other again, but if we did, I definitely never expected it to be due to such shitty circumstances. I thought ya knew better."

Twilight hung her head. "Is it really that bad, Winter? I know that I made a mistake and that… and that you have to fix it. I hate that I've made you upset. But surely things'll be easier this time, won't they? I know we have to wait for this sandstorm you keep talking about to clear up, but when it does, can't you just contact Dawn? Her father's an alicorn now, and I think he's stronger than I am, so he can open up a way home for us like he did before, can't he?"

"Yeah, maybe he can, and maybe that sounds all well and good to you, but our world's in a bit of a shite situation right now and I've got the feelin' that the great Lord Silvertongue won't be able to help, not just yet anyway." Winter shook her head. "So yeah, I've got to figure somethin' out, and knowin' that I can't even start thinkin' of solutions until I get back to the city is kind of a pain in my ass."

"If you say so…" Twilight took a breath. "I understand that you're angry with me… but could you at least look at me? Talk to me? If I'm making you uncomfortable, could you at least tell me why? It can't just be because of what I did."

Winter huffed, glanced back at Twilight briefly, then turned back to the path ahead and just kept walking. She did say something, at least: "When I saw ya last, you were just a unicorn like me. A bit taller, sure, but a unicorn all the same. I know this world's different from yours, and that alicorns aren't treated like… immaterial beings. But it's still a bit jarrin' seein' ya like that. All fuckin' big and with wings and shit."

Twilight glanced down at her wings and her taller stature, then gave a nervous little chuckle. "Yeah, I guess that could be a little jarring, huh? You think it's bad for you, just imagine how it is for me. I only got this tall a couple of weeks ago; before that I wasn't much taller than I used to be when we last saw each other."

"Hmm. Yeah, well, that's why it's hard to look at ya. I used to be able to look ya in the face and talk, but now I've gotta crane my neck up like a fuckin' child. As if I didn't have enough reminders about my height. It's disorientin'."

Twilight could tell that there was more to it than that—Winter was never one to get distracted by something so insignificant—but she decided to just leave it alone. Instead, she turned the conversation elsewhere, hoping to lighten the mood or at least get Winter talking about something less aggravating.

"So, this 'Checkpoint' we're going to," she said. "I think I remember you mentioning it before. It's like a… a pit stop en route between New Pandemonium and Hope's Point, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's about right," Winter replied with a nod.

"Wonderful. Let's see if I can remember some details. Hmm…" Twilight tapped her wing to her chin; they were long enough that she could do it easily now. "It's technically owned and operated by Hope's Point, but officially it's independent so that New Pandemonium doesn't try to attack it or anything. That way, ponies coming from north to south can use it freely to stock up on supplies and even get medical attention.

"The current operator was… let's see… Pewter? He's just a business associate to you, but I still say you should consider yourselves friends. He inherited the establishment from his father… Obsidian, I think? But Pewter operates it these days. I remember you saying that he was working on making some improvements to the structure. How're those going?"

Winter stared at Twilight, baffled. "You… remember all of that?"

"Of course!" Twilight said with a smile. "I remember all of our conversations together, Winter. Not just conversations, either, but all sorts of other little moments, too. Like that game of laser tag we played with Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, and Red Velvet." She giggled a little. "You remember how Rainbow got a little over-dramatic about her teammates getting 'shot'? I told you she'd do that. That's how AJ was gonna sneak up on her after our distraction."

"That's—"

"Or how you stayed up all night with me on one of my first nights here, teaching me how to use those strange little datapads? I'm sure that I could've learned how to use one just as well given time, but you made it work out so much better."

"Well sure, but—"

"Or when you showed me that lovely little coffee shop just a few blocks from the library, the one that made the best coffee ever? You know, it's taken me years to find a brew anywhere close to the one I liked there, and it's still not perfect."

"I—"

"Ooh, do you remember that scary movie we saw? It still gives me chills. I stay far, far away from horror films these days. I gave Rainbow a piece of my mind about that, by the way, seeing as she chose the movie. I mean, I guess Pinkie did too, but we both know Pinkie would go along with whatever Dash picked."

"Twilight!" Winter shouted. "I get it!"

Twilight blinked, then nervously rubbed her neck. "Oh, right. Sorry. I got a little carried away. It's just… I remember all of the good times we had together, and… and I don't want this unfortunate situation to change anything between us."

Winter paused for a long moment, even stopped walking and everything, to take a breath before shaking her head. "It's been seven years, Twilight. A lot of things can change in that amount of time."

"Oh…" Twilight murmured. She didn't know what to make of that answer. Not wanting to delve into it further—she was in no shape to start getting into an argument—she decided to follow Winter's line of thought. "Tell me about it. A lot of things have changed back home, y'know? And I don't just mean with me, or even just with me physically. I bet lots of things have changed around here."

"Yes, they have."

"So…?"

"So what?"

"Tell me about it. I wasn't kidding," Twilight added with a smile. "It's been seven years, like you said. What sort of things have changed around here? I'd love to hear about it."

Winter raised an eyebrow, then grunted and kept moving. "I'd probably just bore ya with all the details."

"Oh no, I assure you, I love details. Lay it all on me."

"Ah, right, that's just so… you. Ugh… fine. Let's start with some of the biggest changes then, eh? The ones that'll actually matter goin' forward."

Twilight nodded enthusiastically, eagerly awaiting the deluge of information that was about to come spilling her way. Things at home could be said to mostly be the same as they were before she and Winter had even met, apart from her becoming an alicorn princess and ascending to the throne of all of Equestria. But that was an outlier; nothing else like that could really be said to have happened.

Sure, there were a few major-yet-unimpactful things here and there—Rainbow and Pinkie getting married, Rarity opening a boutique in Canterlot, Rainbow finishing her Wonderbolts training, Fluttershy making friends with Discord—but there weren't many of them and most of the other "big" changes wouldn't be particularly interesting to Winter.

So, she figured there couldn't be too many big changes to worry about coming from Winter's neck of the woods, so to speak, and she already knew what was probably the biggest one, which was that Gray and Flathoof had started a family. What could possibly be bigger than that?

*****

"So, tell me somethin'," Applejack said as she and Hourglass winded their way through another tunnel towards their destination. "What in the heck is wrong wit' Winter?"

Hourglass raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You heard me. What in the heck is wrong wit' Winter? Look, I know it's been seven years and folks can change, but I thought I knew that mare. She may be a bit sarcastic, and she sure as heck had a bit o' brutal honesty to her, and I respect that. But she ain't never acted like I done seen her actin' wit' Twilight last night."

"Ah… yeah…"

"In fact, I've been thinkin' 'bout it all dang mornin', an' I'm already gettin' worried leaving the two o' them alone. Twi's not in good shape right now, and she needs ta rest and get feelin' better, so havin' an ornery lil' thing like Winter jumpin' down 'er throat ain't gonna help matters none."

"That's actually partly why I asked you to come along with me," Hourglass admitted, not looking at all ashamed of the confession. "Sorry if I made it sound like it was something else, but I knew I had to make it sound convincing."

Applejack huffed. "Yeah… I figured y'all were keepin' somethin' outta the conversation, but I didn't pay it much mind. So what, ya had me come along 'cause ya wanted ta make sure Winter got ta say her piece wit'out me interruptin'?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. Bloody hell, I just didn't want to risk the two of you tearing each others throats out over all this."

Applejack wanted to chastise the younger mare for swearing, she really did, but she wasn't the mare's mother and this wasn't a classroom or anything like that, so she just didn't have any authority. It made her think about how she'd had to tan Apple Bloom's hide whenever the filly let out a swear at home; she and Big Mac didn't raise no foul-mouthed hooligan.

"Hmph. Ya really think Winter'd do somethin' like that?" she asked. "Or try to, I guess, 'cause she sure ain't gettin' one over on me, I tell ya what."

"Well, no, but… then again, I've never seen her get so angry before, either. I honestly don't know what she might do if she's given reason to get really ticked off." Hourglass shook her head. "She's been like this—sometimes better, sometimes worse, but not angry—for the past… well, six-ish years. Ever since I became her apprentice, at any rate. She didn't used to be like this."

Applejack scratched her head. "Huh? How wouldja know what she was like before ya started trainin' with 'er?"

"That's… well, it's a complex answer, really, but let me see if I can make sense of it for you. Hmm… okay, you know how sometimes you meet somepony and you feel like you've known them for longer than you actually have?"

"Ta be honest I ain't never felt that myself 'bout nopony, but I know Pinkie said that's how she feels 'bout Red Velvet. I mean, we both know it ain't true, but she's convinced that the two o' them're twin sisters that got separated at birth and somehow Red ended up here. I mean sure, they look a lot alike, but c'mon now. But I get what you're sayin'."

"Well, okay… there's that feeling then. Let's just say that Winter and I felt that way about each other… because we did know each other before we officially 'met'. We knew each other before she met all of you, actually."

Applejack tilted her head and rubbed a hoof in her ear. "I thought this was s'posed ta be a simple explanation. The heck does that mean?"

"Sorry. I'm bad at this. Well, no, I'd normally be good at this, but I've got constraints on what I can and can't say." Hourglass shrugged. "But I knew Winter when she and I were just kids. We're sort of like foalhood friends, I guess?"

"Sugarcube, y'all are still just a kid. How old're you, like fifteen maybe?"

"Eighteen next month. I'm older than I look, I know."

"Still just a kid. Winter's the same age as me, or thereabouts. How could ya have known 'er when she was a lil' filly?"

"I just did, okay? If Winter gives me clearance to go into it more, I will, but I've gotta follow some rules here. Bloody hell, I wish I could make it easier to understand but—"

Applejack held up her hooves. "Fine, fine, I'll drop it. So, ya say ya knew 'er 'fore she met us, and she weren't like she is now back then neither?" She rubbed her chin. "Well shoot, that means she's been like this since we left the first time, like ya said."

Hourglass sighed and nodded. "Yeah, that's exactly right. She's still a bit bitter about how everything worked out, from how I understand it. She went into some details with me, but that's her business, not yours, not mine, just hers. But I will say that it's left her like this for a while, and I think you two showing up is either going to make it better or make it worse."

"Well shoot, now ya got me all wrapped up in a doggone mystery an' I got no way o' figurin' out the answer."

Hourglass shrugged. "Such is life, isn't it? So hey, speaking of changes, what's the deal with Twilight? She's an alicorn now, which in this world is kind of a big deal, but I guess it's… normal where you come from?"

"Sugarcube, there ain't nothin' 'normal' when it comes ta Twilight," Applejack chuckled. "Lemme tell ya all about it."

They talked and talked for several minutes, but as they rounded another corner, they stopped; an obstacle was in the way. Specifically, a large chunk of the ceiling had come down and covered the path ahead with dust, dirt, and rock. Not multiple rocks, either, but a giant slab of stone that covered the entire path; it looked like the entire ceiling had practically come down on the floor and the gap it left above didn't look like it led anywhere.

"Ah, dammit," Hourglass swore, pressing a hoof to her temple. "I was afraid of this. A bloody cave-in right along our path. Guess it's a good thing we listened to Sunspire after all, this would've kept us out of the ruins for days at the least."

Applejack didn't know who or what a "Sunspire" was, but that wasn't important right now. "There ain't no other way 'round?" she asked. "I saw a few other passages earlier, one o' them's gotta get us where we're goin'."

"The nearest route is gonna take us at least three days to get through, assuming that I'm reading the map correctly and that there aren't more of these damn cave-ins." Hourglass shook her head. "This is shite. We need to get to those ruins before the evidence we need dries up. But now…"

Applejack eyed the debris for a few moments, then nodded firmly to herself. "Shucks, ain't no trouble. If we need ta get through here, I'll just move this hunk o' rock outta the way."

"Applejack, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but there's no way you're moving that. That 'hunk of rock' likely weighs a ton, no exaggeration. You'd need a team of earth ponies to move it, or a few really gifted unicorns."

"Nah, ya just need me. Now, I ain't no expert on caves 'n' spelunkin', but I know earth 'n' rock 'n' such 'cause I work with it on the ol' farm all the time. Diggin', movin', breakin', whatever; I know how ta do it, an' I do it all the time. This ain't no different from when I had ta get a big ol' boulder outta the way in the east orchard last year so we could expand a bit outward."

"Moving a boulder's a lot different from lifting one," Hourglass noted.

"Potato, potahto; a rock's a rock. Now, y'all just stand clear there for me, an' I'll lift this here sucker up, then y'all run through when it's high enough ta squeeze yer lil' self through. I'll be right behind ya."

"Applejack, really, you don't have to do this. Let's just take an alternate route—"

"Y'all said ya needed ta get ta them ruins all fast-like, right? Well then we ain't takin' no detour, 'cause that'll just slow us down." Applejack rolled up the sleeves on her work shirt. "Get ready ta move, alright?"

Hourglass blinked, then nodded hesitantly. "O-okay. But if you're having trouble, just let it drop and we'll figure something else out, alright?"

"Sure, fine, whatever. Now, on three I'm gonna start liftin', alright? When I say 'go', you go."

Applejack approached the slab of stone and stamped her hooves in the dust to dry any sweat she might've had on her; she didn't need the darned thing slipping out of her hooves.

"One…"

She set her hooves on the bottom of the slab, rolled her shoulders, then eased the tips of her hooves underneath; it was a tight fit, but enough to get started.

"Two…"

She firmly anchored her legs in the rock behind her so that all of the weight would be in her hindlegs rather than her forelegs; she'd learned from her old warehouse gig that doing the opposite was a surefire way to injure yourself, or worse. That reminded her, she'd have to check and see how her old crew was doing when she got a chance.

"Three!"

With all her might, Applejack lifted the slab up. Though it didn't move much at first, it slowly loosened itself away from the floor so that she could get her hooves under it for more leverage. Once she did that, it was easier to lift, lift, lift, pushing up with every ounce of strength she had.

One inch, two inches, four, seven; eventually she managed to get it juuuust over her head, whereupon she shimmied herself forward step by step until she was directly underneath it. From there, she kept pushing it up, up, up until it was very nearly back into its proper place in the ceiling; eventually she was standing almost completely upright.

"Go!" she shouted.

Hourglass ran past her like a bat out of Tartarus.

Once she did, Applejack slowly shimmied herself forward again, then took a deep breath as she turned in place before starting to set the slab down behind her. Once it was low enough, she dropped it and leapt back all in one swift motion so that it didn't crush her hooves underneath its weight.

And, once she was done, she allowed herself to stumble back into the newly-opened pathway and relax.

"Holy hell, Applejack, how in blazes did you manage that?" Hourglass asked, moving to Applejack's side and offering her a canteen of water.

Applejack took the canteen and chugged a little bit of water—not too much, they had to ration it—then passed it back to Hourglass. "'Cause I done told ya, I know earth an' I know movin' stuff. 'Tweren't nothin' different than liftin' up a big ol' box of old junk so my brother could get it up inta the attic."

"Still, that's just… incredible. You've got like… super strength or something. Winter did say you were strong, but I wasn't expecting that. You've gotta be the strongest pony I've ever seen."

"Nah, I'm just not a quitter, that's all. Ain't nothin' to it."

Applejack brushed some of the dirt off her hooves just as a show of bravado; she wasn't the kind of braggart Dash was, but heck if it didn't feel good to prove something to somepony every now and then. But she noticed something odd: the dirt just didn't seem to be coming off of her hooves. Almost like they were just plain caked in the stuff, so much that they looked like solid rock.

She blinked and brushed her hooves off again, and this time the effort stuck, and her hooves were clean. Mostly clean, anyway; not Rarity's standards, but enough for the situation at hoof. It must've been a trick of the light or something, or the rush of adrenaline messing with her head.

At any rate, with the slab out of the way, she and Hourglass could move forward towards their destination, hopefully unhindered. They still had a long way ahead of them, after all, and if Hourglass was serious about the rush, then every little delay was just making the problem worse. And the last thing that anypony needed considering how complicated things already were was just one more complication.

*****

"Wake up."

Grit stirred slightly as the feeling of hooves jostled him. Who dared to attempt to rouse him from his rest at such an obscene hour? It surely wasn't his typical waking time.

"Wake up, brother."

Grit blinked until his eyes were fully open, his body alert and awake again, relatively speaking. "Grime? Ugh… what time is it? What's happening? Is there an emergency?"

"I bear tidings, brother. Both good and ill, but tidings nonetheless."

Grit rose from his bed and wiped the sleep from his eyes. A glance at the clock on his nightstand told him it was horribly early in the morning, just as he thought, hours before he and his brother would usually rise to greet the day and begin their glorious work. A weak part of his brain told him to just lay back down and return to his restful slumber; that part of his brain was swiftly silenced, for if Grime had awakened him, it was not for nothing.

Grime, his brother, was a tall unicorn with a yellow coat and a two-toned mane of red and white. He wore a cloak of black over his lanky frame, the only clothing he wore at all in fact; he needed little else and none would question his choice in fashion. Grit was his twin and matched him in appearance in every way, save for their facial hair, for Grime bore a lush mustache while Grit bore a goatee. Though, in recent years, Grime had become thinner than his brother, both in figure and in hair, and bore bags under his eyes that spoke of stress and lack of sleep.

Such were the signs of a dedicated servant of the Dark Lady. Grime bore the marks with honor, and Grit envied him.

Their bedchamber was rather barebones, with little accommodations outside of a pair of small beds and a pair of lockers for storing clothing and personal effects. It was just a single room in the likewise small and barebones metal cabin that served as their home, attached to a much larger cabin that served as a base of operations here in the Redblade Mountains. Comfort had to be sacrificed in the name of practicality and safety.

After all, there was little room for error when you were living alongside a perpetually active volcano.

"What tidings do you bring so early, brother?" Grit asked, barely suppressing a yawn. "You typically wait until waking hours to share news of any sort. This must be important."

Grime nodded sternly. "Crucially so, dear brother mine, crucially so. Our Dark Lady has communed with me, and she brings tremendous news of good fortune, fortune that has come with a dreadful cost. Shall I share the good news first, a change of pace for once, hmm?"

"Very well, do go on."

"A Vessel has entered our world, dear brother. A curious Vessel, but one that holds immeasurable potential for the future. Our Dark Lady has brought it here from a realm far beyond our own, a realm quite different from ours. Another world, I believe."

"Another world? Hmm. Forgive me for asking, but you mean to say that She brought from this world… a 'Vessel'?" Grit asked, raising an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that the Mother of Calamity was to be Her Vessel, to be the form She took to unleash Her unbridled fury upon this pathetic world? Have plans changed?"

"Oh yes, they have changed, oh yes indeed. For you see, the process of bringing this newfound Vessel here drained Her strength, and She is weary from the ordeal. So weary, in fact, that we will not be able to continue forward with the Mother within the Cradle, not for many days. We will trust that Brother Flux's continued duties meanwhile feed our Dark Lady with sustenance, that his work replenishes the strength that She used."

Grit steepled his hooves. "Yes, losing progress with the Mother is a regrettable outcome, but then you say that the Mother is no longer to be Her Vessel. Has our work all been for naught, brother? I dare not question Her decisions, but I feel as though this change—"

"No, for our Dark Lady has foreseen another use for the Mother. She will now make use of the Mother's destructive power to merely herald Her rebirth." Grime smiled briefly before shaking off his reverence. "But the Mother is no longer Her priority; this new Vessel is."

"Surely then this Vessel is of great importance, if our Dark Lady weakened Herself so strongly to obtain it, to bring it here?"

Grime smiled, showing off his yellowing teeth. "It will prove a greater force than even the Mother, should our Dark Lady possess its power. She has revealed to me a further goal within her Glorious Purpose, dear brother, one beyond our imagination. This world will burn, yes, but so will realms beyond this one. Complete… annihilation."

"Then we truly are to usher in the end times. Magnificent." Grit set his hoof upon his brother's shoulder. "What would She have us do, dear brother? Where is this Vessel?"

"Our Dark Lady has used all of Her immeasurable wisdom and guile to place the Vessel in a vulnerable position within the Goldridge Mountains. Regrettably She could do no more, though I do not know why; in Her state of weakness She is… irritable, and did not deign to converse with me beyond simple explanations."

"Then we must find this Vessel before the Traitors find it."

"Indeed we must, indeed we must. I leave the task to you, Grit, for you possess more knowledge of our forces here in Redblade. You can best ascertain who would be given such an important task, who would be seen as worthy in the eyes of our Mistress."

Grit nodded. "Hmm, the sandstorm will make the task difficult. I will need to send our most powerful unicorn brethren into the fray to protect the team from the elements. It places us at risk should we be discovered by the Traitors and their peons. But the risk must be taken; the Dark Lady demands nothing less."

"Well spoken, dear brother."

"This Vessel, what does it look like? Surely our Dark Lady has given you at least that much, otherwise I fear our task may very well be impossible."

"I had an image burned into my mind, dear brother. An image of… lavender wings and a lavender horn. Our Dark Lady's Vessel is in possession of both, I think. Feminine in spirit and form as well. But a pony, not some other creature, no. I was not given a clear description, so this is merely an interpretation. Our Mistress works in mysterious ways at times."

"A lavender mare, then, in possession of both wings and a horn. As succinct a description as any, dear brother, perplexing though it may be. What manner of pony possesses both wings and a horn? Hmm." Grit grinned and rose to his hooves. "I will set about my task immediately."

"Another thing, brother. This Vessel may have protection with her, guardians of a sort. The Vessel is not to be harmed, but anyone with her? Kill them." Grime tilted his head, then nodded numerous times to nopony in particular; this was not how he was when he spoke with the Dark Lady, though. Odd. "Yes. Kill them all. No prisoners, no negotiations. Anyone with the Vessel dies. Understood?"

"Of course, brother. It will be done."

Chapter Five: Rebound

"Oh come on, that wasn't a foul!" Rainbow called, gesticulating wildly at the skyball field below. "She had possession! Legal tackle! Open your eyes, ref!"

"Looked pretty close to me," said Havoc, sipping from a long-necked beer. "And hey, the new eye picks up stuff like that a lot better. I think. I don't actually know if it does."

"Oh come off it, don't give me that load. You'd have gone for that hit without a second thought."

"Well yeah, no shit, but that's me. I always played fast and loose with possession rules."

Rainbow gesticulated at the field again when the offending team's coach flew out onto the field to argue with the ref. "Yeah! Yeah, get out there, challenge that lousy call!"

She watched the coach gesturing angrily, putting his hooves on his hips and getting right in the referee's face to yell at him and everything. That was the sign of a good coach, somepony that would storm out there and challenge a bad call with all the passion in the world. But then, she threw her hooves in the air when the ref made a big show of gesturing for the coach to get off the field; the call was going to stick.

"Booo! Booo!" Rainbow shouted out into the stadium. "Get your frickin' eyes checked, ref! Booo!"

Rainbow hadn't watched too many of the pro games of skyball when she was last here in New Pandemonium, but she had to admit, the teams in their league competed at a surprising level of skill, much higher than some of the pro teams back home. And, if Havoc was to be believed, the two teams she was watching were considered some of the bottom-tier teams in the league.

One, the Veterans, had once been one of the best teams in the league but had apparently been on shaky ground after they hired a new general manager and had been cycling through new ones every other year for a decade now; the other, the Cyclones, were only considered bottom-tier because they were inconsistent, sometimes having great years while others were lousy.

Neither team were the Rockets, of course, since the Rockets wouldn't be going pro until the next professional season started. But more than that, neither team felt like they were as good as the Rockets were when Rainbow briefly played with them at their peak. She was glad she didn't have to worry about district names anymore; the Rockets were just the Rockets now, not the Mid-East Rockets. The pro league didn't bother with it since there was only one stadium anyway.

After that bad call, though, she grunted and grumbled and leaned back into her cushy, comfy seat, and gave Havoc a bright smile. "This is awesome, by the way. Thanks for having me."

Havoc snickered and clinked her beer against Rainbow's. "Hey, what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't invite you to check out a professional skyball game while you're in town? A shitty one, that's what. You'd do the same for me. I bet you get great seats at your Wonderbolts shows since you're an officer on the squad, right?"

"Well, yeah, but this? This blows away anything I'd be able to work out," Rainbow said with a shrug as she took a drink; the beer was light and airy, just how she liked it. "I could get you some bomb seats, sure, but only Captain Spitfire gets to invite ponies into the Wonderbolts' private booth."

Rainbow was amazed that she could watch the game from a private box at the city's one and only professional league stadium. The teams each had their own private courts and training facilities, but all the teams played on the same stadium for official games to maintain a level of fairness and to eliminate any accusations of home field advantage. Scheduling was rigid and non-negotiable; today's game, incidentally, was three days after she and Pinkie had ended up back in this world.

That was the biggest change from back home that Rainbow noticed; in her world, every team had its own stadium that still had to adhere to league regulations, but naturally they took liberties here and there. Marvel Stadium, home of the Cloudsdale Marvels, had an outdoor field built entirely from clouds, so weather sometimes made a big difference in the way a game was handled; the weather teams purposefully didn't tend to the weather around the field.

She remembered watching one game a few years back that was played during a hail storm. Dodging hailstones and trying to focus on getting a goal while avoiding the other team's blockers sounded like an amazing challenge.

But anyway, this stadium—which was built with a protective dome over it that protected the field from the sandstorm outside—was large enough to house just over fifty thousand fans at maximum capacity, but was currently empty apart from the two teams that were playing and the various club owners and their guests in their private boxes strewn throughout. As the Rockets had been officially approved for professional league membership for the next season, they'd been allowed to purchase their own private box, which meant that Havoc had bought it.

It was actually a pretty luxurious box, too, with enough room and seating to easily fit twenty ponies if needed, complete with an extra set of televisions that were tuned to different sports channels to get different angles of the game than the in-person view, which was still stellar, by the way. It was even equipped with its own sports bar, a staffed one at that, with a young, jovial unicorn serving as bartender. The box even got food service from a professional cooking staff that served all of the private boxes and made some of the most amazing nachos Rainbow had ever had.

Yeah, this was better than anything Rainbow could offer back home on short notice. It would take lots of advance warning and impressive finagling to get Spitfire to agree to let in a guest whom she was unacquainted with, even if that guest was the best friend of her star Second-Lieutenant.

"You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to having our team down there next season," Havoc said, tilting her beer towards the field. "The team's excited like you wouldn't believe."

Rainbow chuckled. "Oh no, trust me, I get it. I've lived the dream, baby."

"Ah, yeah, I guess you did, huh? What's it like flying for these 'Wonderbolts' anyway? Is it everything you ever dreamed it would be?"

"It's exactly what I dreamed it was like, actually. The flying part, at any rate."

Rainbow shrugged and scuffed her hoof along her chest; she wasn't wearing her uniform anymore, since she knew she'd have to clean it daily if she did just to keep the stink of sweat out of it. That and she just didn't trust the washing machines at Pandora Tower to treat it right; the uniform was hoof wash only. So until she got back home or unless she desperately needed to wear it, the uniform would stay in the closet of her and Pinkie's room at the tower.

She kept her jacket, though. That could at least be washed whenever she felt like it, and it went well with any of the other clothes that she and Pinkie had been provided so that they didn't feel constrained to wearing only what they'd been wearing when they first arrived. Curaçao was thoughtful like that, it seemed.

"What does that mean?" Havoc asked, drawing Rainbow back to the conversation.

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. "Well… like I said, the flying aspect of being a Wonderbolt is everything I ever dreamed it would be. Flying fast, flying high, pulling off cool stunts and wowing the crowds, having legions of fans, getting my own posters and action figures and celebrity merch, the works. That part is awesome.

"The rest of being a Wonderbolt is, well, a job. Technically military, I guess, but still just like any other job, really. I've got a boss to listen to; I've got coworkers to work with, and some of them are great, but some of them are jerks; I've got a schedule to adhere to and I can't get around it by being awesome like I used to with being in weather control. The pay's not as good as I thought it would be, either, but I get lots of benefits since I'm technically a government employee."

"Hey, nice. Got yourself a dental plan and shit?"

"Yeah, a pretty good one too. I mean, I didn't care about it that much when I got it, but then Pinks and I got hitched and now I'm glad to have it." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't believe what her dental bills would cost us if I didn't have good dental. She's got a major sweet tooth, in case you haven't noticed."

"Heh, fuck me, you sound like an old mare all of a sudden. Concerned with dental bills and insurance and all that?"

"Havoc, we're pretty much the same age. And unlike you, I'm not loaded." Rainbow gestured to the private box around them. "I can't afford stuff like this. I'm not jealous or anything, but y'know, ya don't gotta rub my face in it."

Havoc frowned. "Shit, sorry. Did I hit a sore spot?"

"I mean, no, not really, but I guess I've started to really think about that kind of stuff over the past year. Just watch, you're gonna start caring about things like this too after you get married."

"Maybe. That'd be nice, actually… sharing that kind of experience and concern with somepony else?"

Rainbow paused, then gave a little smile. "Yeah. It's nice, even when all the mundane stuff gets annoying."

There was a brief commotion at the door, then it opened, and in walked a familiar face to Rainbow, a set of them actually. Her old team from her last visit to this world, the former Mid-East Rockets, now just the Rockets. All of them showing up at once like this was kind of overwhelming, but that was part of the charm of it all.

The team was composed of seven players: Dart Blazer, a stallion with a cobalt blue coat and a short, chocolate-covered mane; Sweet Crespelle, a young mare with a red coat and blonde mane; Salsa Fresca, a greenish-blue mare with a purple mane, and her sister Lily Typhoon, an orange mare with a pink mane; Gilded Match, a large black-coated stallion with a red mane tinged with gold.

All of them were pegasi, of course, because only pegasi could play skyball.

There was also Brisk Gallop, an old stallion whose black coat was practically gray and whose mane was white by now but had once also been gray, who used to play with the team but now served as their coach, and Rainslick, a turquoise stallion with a white mane, who served as the team's general manager. Also both pegasi.

Greetings were given all around with exuberance and joy with hoofshakes and hugs being thrown around like confetti, and generally there were just a lot of smiles everywhere.

"So how have you been?" asked Dart, ever the leader and always ready to step in first. "We haven't heard from you in years."

"Oh, you know, just doin' my own thing back home," Rainbow said carefully; Dart and the others didn't know Rainbow was from another world, instead being fed the story that she was from the southern continent of this world, which would be suitably hard both to disprove or disbelieve. "Joined up on a skyball team down there, figured I could bring back some of the skills I practiced up here."

"Well hey now, good for you!" said Rainslick with a wide smile. "I'm glad that you got a chance to put your experience with us to some good use. What's skyball like down there, anyhow? I didn't even know they had any leagues in the south."

"Oh, well, the rules are pretty much the same as they are around here," Rainbow said, which was true. "But it's not exactly a league so to speak, since we don't treat it as a competitive sport or anything like that." A half-truth; the Wonderbolts didn't compete or anything, but skyball teams certainly did. "You know what they say, 'winning isn't everything'." Well, that was an outright lie.

Gilded gave Rainbow just the most incredulous look. "But Rainbow my friend, if winning is not important, then why keep score?"

Rainbow blinked. "Uh… well. I mean… y'know, it doesn't matter to everypony. I care if we win. I just don't go around acting like it's a big deal so I don't upset anypony. Heh heh."

"Aha! Good good, I was worried that the Rainbow I had grown to admire had gone soft on us, and become of those 'participation trophy' types. Fools! There is no reward for merely participating in a competition! What a preposterous concept!"

"He's riled up about that kind of stuff now that he's playing with a real team again," Lily noted in Dash's ear. She then pulled back and gave Dash a big, white smile. "You're looking good, by the way! Playing for whatever team that is down south is really keeping you in shape. You look like you'd be able to get right back on the field with us at the drop of a hat."

"Oh wow, can you imagine if we had Dash back?" Crespelle said, eyes wide with awe. "Havoc said you're only going to be in town for a few weeks. Are you suuurrre that you can't stay until the start of next season? Please?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, kiddo, that's like six months away," said Salsa, flicking Crespelle's ear. "She's not gonna stick around forever. Dash isn't the type of mare that sticks around, y'know." With a wink, she added, "Hope you don't treat your coltfriends like that."

Rainbow chuckled. "Fillyfriend, actually. And no, I definitely don't. We're married."

"Oh wow, no shit? Well hot damn, girl, why didn't you say so? That's awesome! How long has that been going on?"

"What, the marriage, or the fact that I like mares?" Rainbow asked. She legitimately wasn't sure; Salsa was weird sometimes.

"The marriage, dummy. I don't care if you like mares. I'm actually not surprised you do, actually, since I always saw you checking out my ass in the showers back in the day." Salsa nudged Crespelle. "Crespelle's too. Not that I blame you, my ass is pretty sweet."

Rainbow smirked and shrugged, letting it go unsaid that she wasn't ashamed of it; her female team members were attractive, and there was never harm in looking at another mare every now and then. She and Pinkie were confident enough in their love for one another that they could look around if they wanted; heck, Pinkie did it more than she did and was less subtle about it.

"We got married earlier this year," Rainbow said. "I don't know if you guys would remember her, though. She was at one of our games when I was here last. Pink mare, poofy mane?"

The team members that were engaged in this part of the conversation gave it some thought, then shook their heads. "Sorry, doesn't ring a bell," Lily said.

Rainbow shrugged. "Meh, that's alright. It's not like I introduced everypony to her or anything. How about you two?" she asked, looking between Salsa and Dart. "You guys get things all settled and stuff? Or am I jumping the gun here?"

The pair shared a brief look, then Salsa grabbed Dart's hoof and smirked. "Yeah, things are pretty good. Right, Dart?"

"I'll say," Dart agreed with a grin. "We started dating again earlier this year. Figured we could finally find the time and money to be comfortable with going steady."

"Nice. Glad to see that all worked out; I was rooting for you." Rainbow turned to others. "So how about you guys? How're all of you doing, besides going pro? Ha! I'm still so pumped that you guys made it into the big leagues. That is awesome!"

"Well, now that we're all pro skyball players, we don't have to worry about day jobs, that's for sure," said Salsa with a grin. "No more delivering packages for me to make ends meet, and Dart doesn't have to do a bunch of freelance handiwork either. It's kinda nice."

"I thought you guys were getting paid when the Rockets were still just semi-pro?"

"We were," said Dart, "but even when Havoc bought the team and was paying us, the semi-pro league has a pay cap that's only just enough to keep us out of poverty. I still did a little handiwork from time to time so I had some spending cash, just not as my main gig. Y'know, except that chunk of time the Rockets were out of business."

Rainbow shook her head. "Oh yeah, Havoc told me about that. That had to be rough, getting fried and all that."

"How much did Havoc tell you?" asked Lily, looking slightly… embarrassed?

"Not much, just that the last owner sold the team 'cause he thought you guys were a bad investment even after an undefeated season." With a grin, she added, "I mean, obviously that was a dumb move in the end, right?"

Lily seemed relieved for some reason. Rainbow would ask why later.

"Long-term, yeah, but in the short term it was a perfectly sound business decision," said Rainslick. "I looked over the numbers, and even with that season our game attendance wasn't up by more than five percent, and there wasn't a guarantee that we could repeat the performance."

"And we haven't yet, if you're wondering," added Crespelle. "Without you and Havoc on the team, well, we're good, but not that good." With a look to Gilded, she added, "No offense, big guy."

"Aha! None taken, my friend! None taken!" Gilded said with a big smile, clapping the smaller mare on the back. "To compare me to Rainbow Dash is to compare a bullet to a missile. I am the missile in this analogy, of course, because I am mighty! But Dash, ah, she is a bullet: small, swift, deadly. And in this analogy, 'deadly' means she scores many points faster than I can."

"I got my degree!" Crespelle suddenly blurted.

"Oh cool you went back to school? Nice!" Rainbow tousled the younger mare's mane. "What'd you study in, anyway?"

"You're not gonna believe this, but uh… criminal justice." Crespelle rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, it's just a Bachelor's. I can't practice law or anything. But I guess when I get older and stuff, I can keep working on that, right? Heh, can you imagine? Me, a lawyer? Heh heh."

"She's also got a cute new coltfriend," said Lily, gently elbowing Crespelle's side.

Crespelle's face turned bright red. "He's not my coltfriend. We only went on one date."

"And…?"

"And… and we're going on another date after the sandstorm clears up. So what? That doesn't mean anything!"

"Uh huh. Sure it doesn't."

"How 'bout you, old timer?" Rainbow asked the older stallion, Gallop. "I hear you're coaching these losers these days. How's that goin'?"

"Youth is wasted on the young," Gallop said, mustache bristling.

"I don't know how to respond to that. Is that good?"

Gallop's mustache curled in a smile. "It means that they're young and ambitious, and that I wish that I could still play with them. But I'll settle for making sure they're the best team they can be while I still have some life in these old bones."

"And we love him for it," said Crespelle, hugging the old pony's side. "He's like the grumpy old grandpa I never had."

"Hey, so, Havoc invited us all here to see you," Dart said, scratching his cheek. "And it's great seeing you again, absolutely. But I thought for sure she'd be here too, yeah? A full-on Mid-East Rockets reunion, or whatever? So what gives? Where is she?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Huh? She's right over—" She glanced behind her to see that Havoc was still seated in her seat from earlier, but had sunk down low enough that it was hard to see her. "Havoc! What're you doing, hiding over there? The whole team showed up, in case you haven't noticed?"

Havoc grumbled something under her breath, then took a long breath. "Fuck it, might as well rip this bandage off, huh?" She then practically leaped out of her seat and hustled over to the group with a purpose in her step. "Go on, everypony, get it out of your systems now while you can. And watch what you say, I still sign your paychecks."

A collective silence went over the team.

It was Lily that spoke first. "Holy crap, boss, what happened to your face? Are you okay?"

"Just her face?" Dart blurted. "Her whole left side's all burned up!"

"Does it hurt?" asked Crespelle.

Havoc gestured with her hoof for them to keep going, but when nopony did, she said, "Let's keep it simple. I still do work with the military, and there was an accident during a routine job last week and I got fucked up. I can't give any details because the work was classified and shit, but here I am, the New Havoc, get used to it."

"Oh wow, I heard about that accident on the news," Lily said, hoof over her mouth. "That big airship crash out in the Wastelands, right?"

"Yeah, that's right, I remember hearing about that too," said Salsa. "Didn't the NPAF admiral step down over that? I didn't hear about anypony getting hurt, but that was like half a million bits in tech that went up in flames."

"Three-quarters of a mil, but yeah, it was a pretty expensive fuck up. And yeah, I was involved, but again, can't say more," Havoc repeated.

"But it doesn't hurt, right?" Crespelle asked, eyes wide with concern. "Do you need anything? Is there something I can get you?"

"Ease up, Jailbait, it's fine, I'm fine," Havoc chuckled. "I got over it all pretty quick, no biggie. The only thing that sucks is that I have to give up smoking for a few months. Otherwise, I finished my recovery and got cleared to leave the hospital and everything a few days ago."

"Wow, that fast? Those military hospitals must be pretty state-of-the-art, huh?" said Dart.

"I certainly hope the military is compensating you for this," said Rainslick, scratching his ear. "I don't necessarily mean financially, either. That accident was the talk of the whole city for days. A few pundits here and there are still harping on about it and how the whole thing is a result of poor funding."

"Funny you should mention it, 'cause that's part of why I'm here actually. You know how the admiral stepped down? Well, I'm stepping down too… or getting discharged or whatever. More than that, I'm leaving New Pandemonium once the sandstorm clears up."

"You are?" asked Dart. "Why?"

"Personal reasons. Family shit. And, uh…" Havoc cleared her throat and, in barely more than a whisper, added, "And I'm getting married. So yeah, there's—"

"You're what?!" exclaimed Crespelle, a huge smile on her face. "Oh my stars! That's great news!"

"Yeah yeah yeah, let's not go into it," Havoc interrupted before anypony else could say anything. "Point is, I'm moving to Hope's Point after the sandstorm clears, so I won't be around as much. I'll check in a few times a season, and that's already less than I have been lately. But you guys should know, since you're my team. My friends." She gestured at Rainslick. "Rainslick'll keep things running just fine, like he has been. Right?"

Rainslick smirked and nodded. "You mean like I have been for the last few years, no thanks to you? Yeah, I can handle that."

"Don't get smart with me, Slick. I can still dock your pay if I think you're sassing me. I know you can be a sassy bitch, but this ain't the time."

"Oh, no sass here boss, I promise. And hey, that oughta work out well for you, since I remember you being pretty tight with King Lockwood."

"And that goes for the rest of you! Just because I'm not gonna be around as much doesn't mean you losers can start slacking off, you hear me?" Havoc started pacing, looking at her team like she was some sort of drill sergeant; she reminded Rainbow an awful lot of Spitfire at the moment actually. "This season's almost over, and in six months the next season starts! And that, team, is our first professional season!

"I'm gonna be watching your every move, your every play, every single shot, block, twist, and turn. Every single moment of every single day from here on out needs to be your Best. Day. Ever. And if any one of you starts to look like you're slacking off, I'm gonna come back up here, and I'm gonna whip your ass back into shape! If I hear that one of you is so much as half-assing taking a shit, there's gonna be hell to pay."

With a final stamp of her hooves on the floor, she shouted at the team, "Am I clear?!"

The team, all with dead-serious expressions—and little hints of smiles—saluted like proper soldiers. "Ma'am, yes ma'am!" they shouted back in unison. Well, except Gallop and Rainslick. They weren't players on the field, so they were exempt from this little display.

"Damn right I am." Then, Havoc flipped the switch from Drill Sergeant to… Team Mom? With a big smile, she gestured at the empty seats in the box. "Go on then, pull up a seat. You guys can join us in watching these two pansy-ass teams try to play the sorriest excuse for a skyball game I've seen in years. Who wants a drink? Crespelle? You want a beer? What am I asking for, yes you do."

Rainbow grinned to herself as Havoc went about taking drink orders and gesturing at the bartender to start doling them out. For years, she'd been hoping that her old team was doing well, and dang, Havoc sure as hay had done a good job making sure that had happened, especially after they'd had a big low point in their lives.

But most of all, she was proud of her friend. Havoc may have been a foulmouthed, rude, crude, ornery, tempestuous—Rainbow learned that word from Twilight—sort of mare who didn't seem like she could care less about anypony or anything but herself, but at the end of the day she was deep down a kind-hearted pony with lots of love in her heart. It was a weird dichotomy—another ten-bit word Twilight taught her—but heck if it wasn't awesome to see.

*****

Pinkie watched with rapt attention as Caramel—her best friend's son! She couldn't get over that—typed away on his little datapad. He was working on a homework assignment for one of his classes, mathematics it seemed, and was certainly diligent about it. In his lap was the datapad he was using for doing the assignment; at his side, resting against the edge of his bed, was another datapad that was opened to the chapter he was reading. Pinkie was never good at advanced mathematics—unless it was required for a joke, of course—so she was surprised that a colt as young as Caramel was working on such difficult equations.

In a chair at the side of the bed was Marée, also working on the same assignment and situated in much the same way as he was. Velvet said they were in the same class, so they had the same subjects and the same homework and the same schedule, so it only seemed natural that they'd be friends and work together on their assignments. It was kind of cute, actually, kind of like how Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were when they were that age.

"Aren't they just the cutest?" asked Velvet.

"Oh, they're adorable," Pinkie replied, putting her hooves together under her chin and letting out a happy little sigh. "I love kids, did you know that? And not just because it's easier to make kids laugh than adults, oh no. I love 'em 'cause they're just so genuine about their fun. A young colt or filly can have fun doing just about anything."

Velvet smiled. "They can, can't they? All my kids like to make their own fun, come to think of it. The tower's not the best environment for colts and fillies to grow up in, but I think we make due pretty well."

"What's the deal with this school of yours anyway? Don't get me wrong, it's the greatest thing ever, but it's just so… what's the word?" Pinkie scratched her head and bit her tongue, thinking, thinking. "Ah! It's so peculiar. Learned that from Twilight."

"How so?"

"Well, you never mentioned anything about being a teacher when we were being bestest-best friends way back when. So I figure that it happened after I left, but it can't have been too long after 'cause these kids aren't that old yet. So where'd they all come from? Did you and your sisters just pick them up off the streets? Are they all orphans?"

Velvet tilted her head back and forth. "It's… com—"

Pinkie grabbed the sides of Velvet's face, squeezing her cheeks together. "Red, I swear, if I have to hear somepony say something is 'complicated' one more time, I think I'm gonna have a major freak out."

After Pinkie let her go, Velvet finished: "Complex."

Pinkie snapped her hooves. Somehow. "Hoo boy, what a turnaround."

"Hey, I live with Dawn. I had to learn how to use a thesaurus just to understand what she wants for dinner." Velvet cleared her throat. "So, yeah, complex. I'm not really allowed to go into a lot of details, but… y'know what? It's you. If Dawn wants to get mad at me, she can go fly a kite."

"That sounds like fun, why wouldn't she want to do that?"

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Pinkie—"

"I know, I know." Pinkie giggled and booped Red's nose. "Gotta watch your language in front of the kids."

"Anyway… like I said, it's complex, but the short version is that they are all orphans, yes, but not for the reasons you think. They don't actually have parents at all."

Pinkie tilted her head. "That's… what being an orphan means?"

"Shush, you. I mean that they literally don't have a mommy and daddy of their own, because they weren't born like… average ponies." Velvet leaned over and whispered, "We don't use the word 'normal' to describe ponies that live out in the city, 'cause it makes the kids sound like they're abnormal. Lots of negative baggage with that word."

"So, wait… they weren't 'born' like you and me?" Pinkie asked.

Velvet bit her lip. "Yup. That's right. Not born like you and me in a perfectly natural, ordinary, traditional manner, no sir."

Even Pinkie had to raise her eyebrow at that. "Uh… okay. So then how were they born?"

"Simple answer: from a test tube." Velvet shrugged. "They already know that, so don't worry about it being some big secret."

Pinkie gasped and put her hooves on her temples. "Oh my stars and garters. You mean they were geometrically imagineered?"

"I believe the term you're searching for is 'genetically engineered'," came the voice of a stallion at the doorway.

The voice belonged to a unicorn, a handsome one with a rich, light gray coat and a darker gray mane, which was short but very tidy. He wore a black lab coat and nothing more.

"Hey, Pedi!" Velvet said, hopping out of her chair to greet the stallion. "You're finally done with that assignment Dawn put you on?"

"To a degree that she finally found satisfactory? Yes," he replied with a nod, though he didn't look particularly pleased. "I would share the details but Miss Dawn has requested that I maintain utmost secrecy on the project, even from you. I honestly don't know why, since the project isn't a particularly sensitive matter—"

Velvet slapped his chest playfully. "Aw, that's just how Dawn's gonna be about everything these days. After what happened with that royal fiasco last week I doubt she wants information spreading around anywhere about anything."

"I suppose."

Velvet looked at Pinkie and gestured to the stallion. "Pinkie, this is Pedigree, but I call him Pedi nowadays." She then gestured at Pinkie. "Pedi, this is Pinkie Pie. The Pinkie Pie, by the way."

Pedigree glanced over and noticed Pinkie—had he not actually noticed her before?—and his eyes widened slightly. "Oh! I knew we had a guest but I wasn't expecting this. Hello, Miss Pie. A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

He stepped over and offered his hoof, which Pinkie took and enthusiastically shook. "Hi there!" Pinkie replied. "I'm Pinkie Pie, Red's Best-Twin-Sis— wait. Finally make my aqua-what-now? Have we met before?"

"Formally, no, but I know all about you from—"

Velvet elbowed him in the ribs hard enough to get his attention but not hard enough to hurt. Which was weird. That was weird, right?

"From all the stories about you I've told him," Velvet completed with a big, big smile. "Yup! Just a perfectly normal way of knowing about my bestest friend in the whole world: via conversation, and no other methods."

"Uh… okay?" Pinkie said, tilting her head a full ninety degrees. "Is everything alright, Red?"

Red smiled a little widely and nodded. "Yup! Why do you ask? I'm not acting weird. Who said I was acting weird? Ah ha haaa." Her eyes drifted to Pedigree, then to Pinkie, then back to Pedigree, then back to Pinkie.

Now, Pinkie was used to being the weird one amongst her friends. Somepony had to be the weird one in every group and Pinkie decided it should be her with her group, otherwise it might have to be Rarity or something and that was just… well, weird. But she'd never figured Velvet was the weird one between her and her sisters. She thought Insipid was the weird one. Speaking of which, where was she anyway? It had been three days and she and Rainbow hadn't seen her in the tower yet.

Anyway, yeah, Velvet was acting weird. Why?

"Ahem," Pedigree said, clearing his throat. "Well anyway, yes, a pleasure to meet you in person, Miss Pie."

"You can just call me Pinkie," Pinkie replied with a smile. "My mom is Miss Pie. Wait. No. That's not my mom's name, that joke doesn't work. Sorry, let's try that again." She cleared her throat. "You can just call me Pinkie. Miss Pie is incorrect anyway, it would be Missus Pie 'cause I'm married." She then tapped her chin. "That's such a weird concept. I married Rainbow Dash, so… am I Pinkie Pie Dash now?" She paused again for a long moment, then shrugged. "Eh."

"It is a bizarre concept at times, I agree," Pedigree said. "Ponies do not technically have surnames, though they do have family names, yet the family names tend to be attributed in peculiar ways. Horribly inconsistent."

"Right? Like, everypony I know refers to my family as the Pie Family, but my parents don't have Pie in their names at all. So why are my sisters and I the ones who get the preferential treatment? It's weird! It's also weird 'cause I know these two ponies, Mister and Missus Cake, but Missus Cake's birth name wasn't Cup Cake at all, it was Chiffon Swirl! She changed it when she got married. But not all ponies do that? Weird!"

"Chiffon Swirl to Cup Cake? Why would she—" Pedigree shook his head. "At any rate, Pinkie it is. So, hmmm…" He rubbed the back of his neck, as if searching for a question. "I suppose the manner in which you've returned here isn't common knowledge. I don't know how to address this situation, honestly."

"We were talking about the Shadow Project when you came in, Pedi," Velvet said, putting one hoof around his shoulder and tapping the other on his chest. "Why don't you tell her more about it?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose I could do that." He cleared his throat. "The Shadow Project is the brainchild of myself, Doctor Blutsauger, and Lord Silvertongue, originally an attempt to engineer artificial ponies who would serve as loyal agents of Lord Silvertongue's agenda, whatever that might be. The project involved the infusion of magical energy extracted from the Beacon, which granted them extraordinary abilities not seen in average ponies."

Pinkie gasped. "Oh. My. Gumdrops. You gave them superpowers?!"

"Not an inaccurate term, but a rather… juvenile way of looking at it, yes." If Pedigree had glasses, Pinkie was sure he'd be adjusting them now. "Their enhanced abilities would allow them to serve as more effective agents than any average pony could." With a sad look at Velvet, he added, "Regrettably, the process was only partially successful."

"Aw, it didn't work?"

"No, it worked. But not all of the foals infused with the Beacon's magic… survived."

"Oh? Oh…" Pinkie's frown couldn't be more immense. "That's so sad…"

Velvet gestured at Caramel and Marée; she looked sad, but still just a little happy. "Caramel and Marée—all of my kids—they're all that's left of the original project. And once Daddy left, he gave the project to my sisters and me, so we could do something different with it." She nodded firmly. "I convinced Dawn to give the responsibility to me, and I turned the project into the school."

"We still refer to them collectively as 'Shadows' because the name sort of stuck," Pedigree admitted with a shrug. "As the original project head, Velvet requisitioned my aid in the transition to fit her new vision. I think it's been a tremendous success."

"Yup! Pedi used to be kind of a jerk," Velvet said with a jocular smile and a tilt of her head. "But he's gotten better about it. He's great with the kids now, and I couldn't be happier to have him with me." She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "He's just a peach, am I right?"

Pinkie grinned. "Well, if you've been helping Red out with all these cutie pies, then you're alright in my book Mister Pedigree."

"Please, just Pedigree will do. 'Mister' Pedigree is much too formal." With a grin, he added, "And no, Mister Pedigree was not my father, either."

Pinkie paused, then let out a loud guffaw. "Hoo boy! I like you already, Pedigree, you're alright. Thank goodness Velvet got her hooves on you when she did. I don't want to think about what might've happened with you and all these little youngsters without her."

"Oh, I don't think it would've been pretty," Velvet agreed.

Pedigree glanced between the two, then humbly nodded. "My results-focused conduct would likely have resulted in more pain for these young ponies. I can admit that." He shook his head and cleared his throat. "Anyway, I was just stopping in to let you know that I finished Miss Dawn's project," he said to Velvet. "I'm on my way back to my office to start making lesson plans for next week. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm good, thanks," Velvet replied, patting his chest. "I'm gonna stick here with Caramel for a little bit, make sure he and Marée finish their homework. You wanna grab some dinner? I hear the chef's making your favorite tonight: penne arrabiata."

"Oh ho, then you can definitely count me in," he said with a grin. "It's been weeks since he last offered it. Care to meet me at the cafeteria in, say, thirty minutes?"

"Sure! And maybe afterwards we can get some… dessert?" Her hooves delicately played across his chest as she said it, and there was a certain hunger in her eyes, and no, it was not for penne arrabiata.

"Ah." Pedigree glanced sideways and Pinkie, who just gave him a little wave, then tugged his collar. "That sounds lovely. I have been rather… stressed." He cleared his throat, then nodded at Pinkie. "Pinkie, a pleasure."

Pinkie waved more enthusiastically. "Same to you! See you around!"

With that, Pedigree left down the hall; Pinkie noticed Velvet leaning just slightly to watch him go.

Once he was gone, Velvet turned back to Pinkie. "So, where were—"

She stopped, because Pinkie had begun a wild display of gestures, facial expressions, and just general miming to nonverbally pose the most important question she had on her mind right this moment. The reason for the nonverbal questioning was because she wasn't sure if Caramel and Marée knew and she didn't want to spoil anything for them, by which Pinkie meant she didn't want to ruin a surprise if there was one.

The gestures weren't obscene, of course; what kind of a mare did you think Pinkie was? There was an awful lot of winking and nudging, though.

Velvet raised an eyebrow, glanced back out into the hall, then shook her head. "What? No, he's not my coltfriend."

Velvet was the only pony in the entire world—in two entire worlds in fact—that understood Pinkie's gesticulations without fail every single time. Even Rainbow had trouble sometimes, but she was learning. But Velvet? No, she'd never once had an issue. If that wasn't proof that Red and Pink weren't Long-Lost-Twin-Sisters-From-Another-World, then nothing was.

Pinkie, though, wasn't satisfied with the answer and started gesticulating again, but Velvet just rolled her eyes, grabbed her by the hoof, and dragged her out into the hall instead.

"You don't have to be secretive, the kids would only care if he was," Velvet said, though she kept quiet enough that her voice wouldn't carry into the room.

"Then why are we whispering?" Pinkie asked in a similar whisper.

"Because I know you're gonna ask other questions and my answers are going to get too raunchy for them, and I'm not about to have a conversation with you about my sex life without being able to even use the word 'sex'." With a glance at the doorway, she added, "The kids only just finished learning about the birds and the bees, they're not ready for the X-rated stuff."

"Fair enough. So you're telling me Pedigree isn't your coltfriend?"

"No, he's not."

"That's a load of baloney, Red. And no, I did not spell it wrong. The other spelling is a type of deli meat."

"Why are you telling me? I know."

"Just answer the question, Red."

Velvet rolled her eyes. "He's not my coltfriend, Pink. I have lots of coltfriends, but he's not one of them."

"What does that mean? 'Lots of coltfriends'?"

Velvet rolled her eyes again, and this time she pulled a little black book out of her mane—Pinkie was impressed since Velvet's mane wasn't poofy like hers—which she opened and showed to Pinkie. Inside were several names of stallions—Pinkie assumed they were stallions—along with addresses, telephone numbers, something called a "screen name", and little stars next to their names. Some had more stars than others.

"This is my list of coltfriends," Velvet explained, sliding her hoof down the page before flipping it to show more. "When I've got the need for a good dicking, I just call one of them up and see if they're free for the evening, and that's that. Sometimes they're not, so I just pick another name off the list."

Pinkie's eyes widened. "Red, that's cheating! Adultery! Infidelity!"

"No, it's not. They all know that it's not a romantic deal, we're not in permanent relationships. Remember when I had to explain to you the concept of casual sex?"

"Yeah, I remember that it's not the opposite of formal sex, which to me implied having sex while wearing a tuxedo," Pinkie said matter-of-factly. "You said it was the idea of just… having sex with someone that you weren't in a relationship with. I didn't know it had a name like that. Wouldn't 'spontaneous' sex be more appropriate?"

"Sure, whatever. Anyway, this is like… the next step." Velvet tapped a name on the list, Bell Ringer; he had four stars, which sounded pretty good, whatever it meant. "Take Bell here. I met him at a club down in Mid-South a few years ago. He bought me a few drinks, we danced together a bit, then we snuck off into the alley behind the club and went at it. Casual, right?"

Pinkie felt her cheeks burning. "Y-yeah, pretty casual, I guess? Wow, right there in the alleyway? What if you got caught?"

Velvet grinned wildly. "That's part of the fun! Anyway, he was pretty damn good at what he did, so we traded numbers and I told him to call me up if he ever wanted to hook up again. Nothing serious, just sex. At most we'd do something to get us in the mood before doing it, like get some drinks."

"So, like, a date?"

"Yes and no, but that's the gist of it. Nothing like dinner and a movie or anything, just real casual stuff." Velvet pointed at more names in the list. "Same goes for Chocolate Souffle here, and Coconut Crisp, and Dash Charger, and so on, and so on, and I have the pick of the litter. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a unicorn, sometimes a pegasus, but most of these are earth ponies. I have a type, so sue me."

"Can I… ask what the stars are for?" Pinkie paused and winced. "Oh sassafras, do I even want to know?"

"Take a wild guess."

"How many times they've seen Blazing Saddles?"

Velvet blinked, glanced at the black book, then back at Pinkie. "What?"

"Wild guess, sorry. I'm going to assume it's how, um…" Pinkie cleared her throat. "How 'gifted' they are?"

Velvet just nodded.

"So… four stars means what? 'Cause it can't be— you know what? Nevermind. I'm treading dangerous waters here and I don't have my floaties." Pinkie closed the book shut for Red. "Red, honey, sweetie, these aren't coltfriends. They're booty calls. And yes, I know what that means now."

Velvet shrugged. "Same thing, right?" She paused, tilting her head. "How do you know what a 'booty call' is?"

"No, that's… no!" Pinkie shook her head. "No, Red, it's not the same thing. Is Pedigree in that book?"

"No? That's why I said he's not my coltfriend, Pink, keep up. Sheesh."

"No, because this isn't a book of coltfriends, it's a group of hook-ups. That's it. A coltfriend is something more than that."

"So why do you think Pedigree's my coltfriend?"

Pinkie threw her hooves in the air. "I saw what I saw! How you talked to him, looked at him, acted around him. You like him, Red. And I mean as more than just a friend."

Velvet tilted her head. "I mean, yeah, I do. He's a good friend to me and everything, a great friend, but… well, if we use your logic and say that we have to be dating for him to be my coltfriend, then he's still not by that standard. In fact, he would be by my standards actually and— oh my stars he would be by my standards."

"Huh?"

"I mean, he's not in this book, but he and I basically do exactly what I described earlier. Sometimes when I need a good fuck, I'll ask him 'cause, well, he's good. Real good. And conveniently close by, too. He's like, just shy of five stars. Just shy. A smidge, even. I'd bump him up if he was a little rougher with me."

Pinkie crossed her hooves over her chest. "But you two are… y'know. You know."

"Fucking? Yeah. I mean, have you seen him? How could I not? He's a total specimen, heh heh. Rawr."

"And you asked him out to dinner? Y'know, like on a date? You even knew his favorite dish was being served and everything!"

Velvet paused, then went wide-eyed and looked at the ground. "Oh wow, you're right. He is my coltfriend. Wait, no, no, he's not." She laughed and gently gave Pinkie a push. "You almost had me there, Pink. But no, Pedigree and I are not dating. We work together, hang out sometimes, and yeah, we fuck, but that's it. Friends with benefits at best."

"Does he know you've been with these… other stallions?" Pinkie asked, crossing her hooves even harder.

"Yeah, of course he does. Again, it's not like we're in a relationship or anything. I told you, monogamy ain't my thing."

"So he's okay with it?"

"He's never given me any reason to think he's not. He's even helped me out a few times by checking out some family histories and stuff. That's a… a long story in and of itself. We can talk about that another time, it's a bit much for right now. But yeah, even if he did mind, he's never said that he does, and what would it matter if he did? We're not dating."

Pinkie sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with you…"

Velvet set her hoof on Pinkie's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. "Look, Pinkie, it's cool, okay? Pedi and I are just friends with benefits, that's it. Can we drop it now?"

"Fine, fine," Pinkie said, putting up her hooves. "This little chat's gone long enough as it is. You'd better go get ready for your Not-Date with your Not-Coltfriend."

Velvet grinned. "Thank you. I'd invite you along, but I don't think you wanna be a third wheel. At my Not-Date. With my Not-Coltfriend."

"Naw, that's alright. I'll stick here with the kids for a lil' bit. Auntie Pinkie's gotta get her time in if she's gonna compete with your flesh-and-blood sisters. They've got a few years head start!"

Velvet's smile turned awkward. "Flesh-and-blood, right, right, that's us, totally… blood-related, yup. I'm, uh… I'm gonna go now. Bye!"

And like that, she was gone down the hall in a puff of smoke.

Pinkie crossed her hooves again and hummed to herself, then nodded at nopony in particular. It wasn't just that Velvet had been acting weird that was concerning, oh no. It had been a long, long time since she'd ever had to deal with a Friendship Problem—Twilight never trademarked it but she should have—and certainly she'd never dealt with one like this before.

But, she knew in her heart of hearts that she had a mission, a duty, to solve it, or her name wasn't Pinkamena Diane Pie.

And it was.

*****

Dawn sat at her desk that evening, dressed in her most professional dress suit—they were all extremely professional, but this one, a plum-colored one with a matching bow tie, was a cut above the others—and prepared herself for her first Committee meeting since the last major changes had gone through. Admiral Jetstream had already taken his oath of office at the last meeting, but they hadn't attended any business then; today's meeting would be addressing a few minor matters that had come up over the week since.

Her desktop computer was already prepped for the meeting; the communication software had been launched and Dawn was just waiting for the assigned time to start the conference call. She normally hated doing these calls at later hours, but it had been a specific request from Director Underhoof as she was overseeing a case and required time to finish with several of her own duties.

Dawn knew that she needed to stay on the Director's good side to maintain the rapport they'd had thus far; Curaçao had even suggested bringing her into the inner circle soon. But that was Dawn's decision at the end of the day. Not Curaçao's.

Once the proper time arrived, Dawn activated the call, and it only took seconds for the other members of the New Pandemonium City Committee to answer, their faces appearing in small windows around her screen that surrounded her own image, which was in turn being transmitted to them. She didn't know if their arrangements were the same as hers, but she thought they should be; why would she not be the center of attention?

Clockwise, from the top right, the members were the same as they had been for the past seven years, with one exception:

Quill Feather was a bespeckled pegasus with a beige coat and a brown mane who dressed professionally, and was in possession of the largest overbite Dawn had ever seen. He was the Community Administration Secretary, which meant that he was in charge of every bureaucratic organization in the city, from the Records Department to Foster Care Services.

There was then an empty space which would normally be occupied by Taskmaster Concrete Girder, who was in charge of the city's construction and development projects. He was still in the hospital after a most unfortunate heart attack brought upon by a sudden shock just earlier this week.

Next was Treasurer Vendetta, a pegasus stallion with a light blue coat and a two-tone gray mane who always dressed to impress. He was in charge of the city's finances, obviously. Dawn did not like the way that he looked at her, especially in the past week; it made her feel uncomfortable.

Director Underhoof was the head of the infamous CIA, the city's intelligence agency—the actual acronym was Committee Investigation Agency—which also placed her in charge of the city's general law enforcement. She had an orange coat and a light gold mane with prominent bangs, and as usual was dressed professionally.

Then there was Doctor Blutsauger, an off-white unicorn stallion with a neon green mane who was almost never seen without his signature goggles, though they weren't always over his eyes; tonight, they were. He was the city's Chief of Medicine, putting him in charge of all of the city's medical developments, procedures, and guidelines.

Next was Admiral Jetstream, the newly-appointed Commander in Chief of the NPAF, and thus the pony in charge of the city's enviable military. He didn't look anything like his father, ex-Admiral Hotstreak; his coat was a dull blue, his mane a bright yellow, his jaw square and prominent. He wore a formal dress uniform—black, of course—decorated with medals.

Last, Champagne Diamond, Chairpony of the Resource Department, which put her in charge of obtaining and monitoring the city's natural resources: water, oil, metals, and most importantly, the import and export of food, because fresh crops couldn't be grown here in the north and needed to be shipped in from the southern continent. She had a pale yellow coat and two-tone red mane, and looked and carried herself every bit as exquisitely as her name suggested.

As for Dawn herself, she held the title of Shadow Associate. This put her in charge of overseeing these Committee meetings, wherein she could put forth proposals and debate with the others, but she was unable to cast her own vote in issues in order to maintain a properly odd number.

This rarely presented a problem; the latter three members of the Committee were, unbeknownst to the other four, loyal servants to Dawn and her family and would vote the way that she wanted them to, as they had done for her father before his ascension.

The opening statements of the meeting were as droll and unworthy of note as they always were; Dawn rarely paid them much heed unless she was the one delivering them, but she did not call for this meeting and so that was not her responsibility. Once that was finished, the floor was opened to the members of the Committee to discuss matters; as a rule, whomever it was who called the meeting was typically given the floor first.

As such, Director Underhoof addressed the group, clearing her throat to start off her spiel. "An issue has come to my attention that I found concerning, and I wanted the Committee's take on it. Actually, I specifically wanted Taskmaster Concrete's take on it, but since he's still in the hospital I suppose I'll have to make due without it."

"What could you possibly need his opinion on?" scoffed Champagne. "Directions to the nearest buffet? Advice on where to buy chairs that won't break when you sit on them? Or let me guess, tips for how to get grease stains out of a white shirt?"

"Now now, Champagne, let's not speak ill of the Taskmaster while he's recovering from his heart attack," said Quill, adjusting his glasses as he did so. "It's not polite to talk behind somepony's back like that."

"I'd need to take the bus to get back around to his front."

"Any updates on the Taskmaster's condition, incidentally?" Dawn asked, addressing Blutsauger; she didn't care much for Champagne's jocularity at the moment and wanted to move the meeting along.

"Nein, Miss Dawn, nothing of note since our last meeting. His prognosis is positive; he'll live, but I have had my staff recommend bed rest, prescribe a number of pills to help alleviate his heart condition, and even assign a nutritional specialist to help him change his diet so as to hopefully avoid any further issues."

"You're asking for a miracle, Doc," chuckled Champagne.

"I believe that I had the floor?" Underhoof snorted. "The Taskmaster's slovenly ass aside, he would be in the best position to help understand some concerns I'm having. He hasn't been responding to private calls, so I was hoping to get it done here in the meeting, but I guess I'll have to keep trying other avenues.

"My concern, of course, brings me back to the string of disappearances that has been plaguing our city for the past seven years," she continued. "This has naturally been a cause of concern for me and citywide law enforcement, and to this day we still have no clues as to the whereabouts of the missing ponies. The last numbers reported before the sandstorm hit showed that the rate of disappearances has gone down in the past few months, but it's still high."

"We haven't heard an update from you on this in a while, Director," noted Quill. "I was under the impression that the issue had been addressed years ago. We allocated additional resources as requested, so I'd just assumed—"

"At the request of the Shadow Associate, I have not been delivering update reports until there was something to report."

Dawn tilted her head. "I thought it best not to waste the Committee's time with repeated updates and incident reports until there was a significant change in the pattern."

"And thank you for that, Shadow Associate Dawn, grazie," said Vendetta with a smile, lifting a glass of alcohol in a toast—Dawn couldn't tell what kind it was in the lighting of his room. "I was sick of hearing about it after the first year or so, and so was Concrete for that matter, Director. I don't know what you were hoping to accomplish asking him for an opinion."

Underhoof grunted, hooves over her chest. "His knowledge of the city's infrastructure would prove beneficial in finding out wherever those responsible for these disappearances are taking their victims. He's been stonewalling me for years and I'm getting tired of it."

"But why bring this up now?" asked Champagne. "The entire city is in lockdown because of the sandstorm. Don't you have other cases to attend to?"

"The sandstorm is actually the cause of my concern relating to these cases," Underhoof said, leaning back in her seat. "Logic dictates that the reports should be down because ponies aren't going missing, or at least that we wouldn't find out that they're missing until after the sandstorm is over. Most would assume that a 'missing pony' just got locked down someplace else; ignorance is bliss, after all.

"The issue is that I've been getting reports over the past few days of missing ponies. Ponies who, at least according to those who filed the reports, were perfectly accounted for and who should not have gone missing considering the lockdown."

"With the lockdown in place, nopony should be leaving their homes without the escort of one of our designated unicorn teams for protection. Explain how this is possible," Dawn requested. "Provide us with an example."

"Sure. I just finished up with a set of cases today, hence why I requested this late meeting. I didn't want to wait until morning. One report was from an older stallion who lives at an apartment complex in Mid-South. He called in to report that his neighbor was missing. She's a younger mare who apparently helps him down the complex's stairwell every morning so he could use the laundry room and has been doing it for years.

"She didn't answer the door when he knocked, which he found unusual as she normally would inform him ahead of time if she wouldn't be available. He was worried, so he put a call in to the landlord, who then came up and opened the apartment to check on the tenant. The mare was gone."

"And this means she just disappeared?" Vendetta scoffed. "Maybe this mare visited her coltfriend the night before and just never came back to her apartment? I've been known to have mares spend the night in my penthouse on multiple occasions; their families never file missing pony reports." He winked at Dawn as he finished; she ignored it.

"We're still investigating the case, of course, so that could be a possibility, but at the moment all of the evidence we have suggests otherwise." Underhoof shook her head. "Her neighbors say that the mare was single and rarely left her apartment in the first place; she was a total shut-in. Her family lives on the opposite end of the city and they haven't spoken to her in years, so they weren't any help either."

"Perhaps you are merely being paranoid, Director," Dawn suggested, adjusting her glasses; she didn't know where she'd picked the habit up. "You have been investigating these disappearances for years now and provided miniscule results. I am of the opinion that you are perceiving continued threats when there are none."

"I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing to be overly cautious," quipped Jetstream, hooves under his chin. "Considering the events of the past week, I'd say that taking extra precautions to make sure that there isn't anything wrong would be commendable, wouldn't you agree, Shadow Associate? A little extra caution might have avoided last week's… incident."

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "On that, I would agree. It is a shame that your father did not take such measures—"

"Ah, but here's an interesting thing." Jetstream made a show of looking at a datapad just off screen. "According to my father's reports, when he completed his investigation and purged the seditious elements within the NPAF a few years ago, he made note that he wanted additional measures taken with the fleet's dismantling process. He was concerned about the potential for a resurgence.

"Only, when he brought those concerns to you, you apparently denied his request." Jetstream looked at the datapad and shook his head. "In fact there are a number of concerns that he brought to your attention regarding the fleet dismantling that you ignored or outright refused. The process was going slower than we had agreed upon as part of our treaty negotiations with Hope's Point.

"Funnily enough, the Chameleon-class cruiser responsible for last week's incident was supposed to have been dismantled three years ago, but you repeatedly delayed the approval for it until just days before the incident. Something about not wanting to give any ground to Hope's Point too quickly? Imagine if that ship had been properly taken apart? No other ship in the fleet could've done what it did."

Dawn's eye twitched; she was barely containing her anger at the moment, because several other members of the Committee were looking at her with confused expressions. "Admiral Jestream, I am afraid that I am unaware of any of these conversations—"

Jetstream tilted his head, then made a mock display of surprise. "Oh! Right, sorry. These weren't conducted in official Committee meetings. Sorry for the confusion, that's my fault. I should've said that first. Sorry, everypony. I'm new."

Vendetta chortled. "Look kid, I understand that you want to sit at the table with the adults now, but you're out of line if you're sharing private conversations with the Shadow Associate in a Committee meeting."

"Indeed, that's a violation of Committee Guidelines Article Seventeen," said Quill with a sagely nod. "The Shadow Associate is permitted to conduct business and private debates with members of the Committee without a full Committee meeting in effect, but such private conversations are considered just that: private. Bringing them to our attention is punishable by—"

"I think you'll find, Secretary Quill, that I'm not in violation of anything," Jetstream said. "Those conversations were conducted with my father, the former NPAF Commander in Chief, and as such he cannot reveal the nature of said conversations. There isn't a single rule in the Committee Guidelines that forbids me—a third party—from sharing evidence of these conversations."

"He's right," said Underhoof. "He hasn't done anything wrong, not any more than if one of you were to have overheard those private conversations and brought them to the Committee's attention." She shrugged. "It's not admissible evidence for any official action to be taken, but he can still share it."

Quill raised an eyebrow and glanced at Dawn. "So these conversations are real? I was under the impression that the former Admiral Hotstreak was progressing through the dismantling process at a decent pace. Could he have been going faster?"

Dawn's eyes darted to and fro on the screen, but then she took a breath and, in a calm, even tone, said, "It is irrelevant. The actions that were taken led to the results that transpired. The attack on the royal family and the resulting postponement of our peace treaty signing have already occured; nothing can alter that fact. It would be prudent to continue forward with our agenda, hmm?"

Underhoof coughed into her hoof. "Yes, that would be best. Incidentally, my investigation thus far into the NPAF officer corps has suggested that this was an extreme, yet isolated incident. Commander Skyfall's troops mutinied against him and took control of the Chameleon according to the data that I've collected."

"Then the ideal solution would be to investigate the regular troops to ensure their loyalty," Dawn said with a nod. She turned to Jetstream. "Can I rely upon you for this task, Admiral?"

Jetstream nodded. "Certainly, Shadow Associate. I was brought aboard on this Committee to remedy the failings of my father in regards to this incident, and I plan on doing just that. I've already begun the process of assigning AMP Troopers to positions and roles in which they can monitor for suspicious activity. It won't be simple or quick, but it will be done."

"Very good. So then, to the next order of business: what to do regarding Taskmaster Concrete? He is refusing to abdicate his position despite his failing health. While no Committee Guidelines permit us to rectify that particular issue, there must be some solution that we can all agree upon?"

"Are we seeking to replace him?" asked Quill, steepling his hooves. "Because that is a rather bold direction to discuss."

Dawn tilted her head. "That would be my preferred outcome, yes, but I know that I cannot force an issue here. We have all been in agreement that the Taskmaster's performance in this past week has been lacking; because of his condition, he has been unable to attend any Committee meetings and as such prevents proper voting procedures from taking place. This will not stand; our government will not grind to a halt because one slovenly oaf cannot properly monitor his cholesterol intake."

"Or go to the gym once in a while," huffed Underhoof.

Quill nodded in agreement. "I agree, this is a gross breach of proper conduct. All Committee members swear an oath of office that ensures that our city's government carries on regardless of outside circumstances. As much as I sympathize with the Taskmaster and wish him a speedy recovery, this is a dereliction of duty."

"Article Thirty-Two of the Guidelines allows for a sitting member of the Committee to appoint a stand-in should the Committee member in question require absence for a variety of reasons," suggested Champagne, fluffing her mane as she said it. "I have made use of the process many times in the past."

"Yes, when you're busy down on the southern continent… 'inspecting' the local produce," Vendetta quipped with a knowing smirk. "Those farmer ponies must have quite a lot to offer for you to make trips down there five times a year, Chairpony."

"Indeed they do, Treasurer. Sizeable, hmm hmm, crops as far as the eye can see, and I don't make a purchase without sampling the wares. Though you don't have to take my word for it; your wife is quite an aficionado for… agriculture. I've seen her on many of my trips. A shame that she can't get such farm-fresh produce at home."

Vendetta's smirk turned wicked, and with a glance towards Dawn, he added, "On the contrary, I'm sure there are several mares out there who would gladly refute any claims that I am lacking in the produce department."

Dawn rubbed her temples; part of her wanted to just strangle the stallion until he stopped breathing so that she would never have to deal with his advances ever again; another part of her wanted to rewrite time so that she'd never broken into his penthouse and seen him in such a compromising fashion. The image of his… of him, was burned into her brain, and she hated it.

"A substitute would be an acceptable solution," she interjected. She then turned to Blutsauger. "Doctor Blutsauger, can you request that your attending staff subtly suggest that the Taskmaster appoint a stand-in to alleviate stress or something to that effect?"

"Ja, that should be simple," Blutsauger said with a nod. "Whether he accepts or not is another matter, but I think that if I had one of the nurses provide the proper 'incentive', he would consider it. The good Taskmaster has complemented our city's lovely medical staff in the past, after all."

Champagne gagged. "Ugh, I feel sorry for whatever mare gets that detail."

"Do it, whatever it takes," Dawn affirmed. "We shall reconvene once we have somepony to at the very least fill the vacancy. Unless there is any other business to attend to, I would say that we can adjourn?"

There wasn't.

"Then this meeting is indeed adjourned. You are all dismissed."

And with that, the windows winked off and the conference call ended.

But Dawn was not finished for the evening. Oh no, not at all.

She immediately called Admiral Jetstream, and she was impressed that he immediately answered, his face winking back up onto the monitor in a larger window so that she could see him in greater detail. "Shadow Associate Dawn, what can I do for you? We only just finished the meeting—"

"How dare you," she hissed, her voice nearly cracking from the sheer anger she felt coursing through her body.

"I must apologize, but I'm afraid I don't understand. What is this about?"

"Wipe that coy smirk off your face, Jetstream, you absolute buffoon. Your actions in this meeting were unacceptable, and I will not have a repeat performance. Do you have any inclination as to the consequences of your actions?"

"You can't fire me, if that's what you're implying, and you can't pressure me into resigning. Logistically-speaking that would be ill-advised anyway, seeing as you need somepony with the knowledge and drive to ensure that any potential seditious elements in the NPAF are properly purged. I understand that Miss Curaçao went to great lengths explaining just how much you need me."

"Be that as it may, your behavior at this meeting has jeopardized my standing with the remainder of the Committee! I most certainly can replace you if need be! Committee Guidelines are in place—"

"For you to impose those punishments on screw-ups who have committed some public mistake that would serve as grounds for termination. Nothing of the sort has happened here, or at least, nothing that I'm aware of. I haven't done anything wrong. Unless you're referring to me airing your dirty laundry?"

She could not contain a sneer; her teeth hurt from how hard she was clenching them together. "Those conversations with your father were private. You had no right to reveal their contents to the Committee, nor did your father have any right to share them with you—"

"Oh, he didn't. I found them on my own in his records. They were encrypted and everything, like they should be, like this conversation we're currently having is. But I knew that something was wrong with the way my father was handling the situation over the years, so I did my digging." Jetstream gave her a smug grin. "Or did you think that I was stupid?"

Dawn's eye twitched. "You are supposed to be loyal to me, Jetstream—"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why should I be loyal to you? Hmm? Because I was loyal to your father? You may have roped Blutsauger and Champagne into that bullshit, Shadow Associate Dawn, and my father may have gone along with it too, but you said it yourself: you didn't want another repeat of my father, right?

"I was loyal to Lord Silvertongue, to New Pandemonium, and that won't change any. I will do everything in my power to ensure that his work to improve our city continues and succeeds, and I know that you're passing along his mission to the rest of us because you're the only one who can. I have to trust that everything you say that he tells you is true, because I have no other choice."

Jetstream smirked and leaned back in his seat. "But you? I'm not loyal to you. You haven't earned it; your father did. You haven't earned my trust and respect; your father did. You don't treat me with any due respect; your father did.

"So until you can prove to me that you're even half the pony your father was, don't talk to me like I'm some loyal advisor, like you do to Blutsauger, to Champagne, to my father. If you wanted a loyal subject that did whatever you asked him to do, even to the detriment of our prosperity, then you shouldn't have let him go."

Dawn was breathing heavily through her nose at this point, barely able to contain herself from lashing out in anger at the screen, at the insubordinate cretin behind it. "Very well… Admiral," she said through clenched teeth. "If that is how you wish to proceed, then so be it."

"Wonderful. Now, are we done?"

"You may go."

Jetstream smirked again. "Lovely speaking to you, Shadow Associate Dawn. Have a pleasant evening."

And then he shut off his end of the call, leaving Dawn in a state of sheer anger and bewilderment, so strong in fact that for the first time in a long, long while, she had difficulty formulating proper thoughts. It was only through sheer force of will that she didn't vaporize her entire office.

Chapter Six: Revelation

Gray would be a liar if she said that she was never nervous about anything, because there had been quite a few times over the years when she'd felt just a little anxious. All of those things involved Flathoof, of course; there was just something about taking the plunge and diving into a relationship with him that had made her nervous at every big step.

Asking him out on a date had been nerve-wracking; asking him on a second date had been nerve-wracking; kissing him for the first time had been terrifying. It took her more than a year to drum up the courage to move to Hope's Point so she could be with him again; her gut had been turning the entire flight here when she'd decided to take the next step in their relationship.

She was glad that he'd been the one to propose, because she'd been stressing out over doing it herself for weeks.

Most other things didn't rattle her, though. When love wasn't involved, she had nerves of steel; she wouldn't so much as flinch if she had to stare down the barrel of a gun. Today was no exception… mostly.

A part of her was just a little nervous, but that wasn't because she had to do what she had to do, no. It was because she was doing it herself, alone, when it was supposed to be her and Havoc sharing this experience; it was because there were more ponies involved than she'd originally accounted for.

She'd invited a number of ponies over to her home at the embassy that morning, all of whom were currently seated in the drawing room chatting amongst themselves over snacks and coffee. Gray wasn't used to being a host, but Flathoof was and so he took that responsibility off her hooves so that she could mentally prepare herself for what was coming. Blackburn and Lockwood had originally been the only guests on her list, though Blackburn was the important one in this case.

Now, though, Fluttershy and Rarity were also present. Circumstances made it so that the only logical decision was to rip off the bandage and tell them too. They deserved to know, more than anypony in fact. Gray wished that Havoc were here to help her with this—she was never good with speeches—but she knew that Havoc was already taking care of the same thing right this moment on her end of the world.

Gray took a deep breath, adjusted her shirt so that it was straight and neat, then stepped out of the hallway and into the common room to greet her guests.

Lockwood and Blackburn sat together on one sofa, both dressed more casually than usual but still looking as regal as ever. Fluttershy and Rarity sat together on another, the former dressed in the same blouse and skirt that she'd been wearing when she arrived, the latter wearing a new blouse and skirt underneath a somewhat small coffee-colored jacket. Flathoof sat alone on another sofa waiting for Gray, dressed in his usual casual clothes.

As Gray took her seat, she thought it best if she just got right into it, and said as much: "Hey, everypony. So, you're probably wondering why I called you all here, and I figure that I might as well just get right to it. I was supposed to be doing this with Havoc." She gestured at Fluttershy and Rarity. "And you two weren't originally a part of the plan. But hey, here we are, right?"

Blackburn raised her eyebrow at that. "Original intention was just for me and Lockwood. Private conversation, Havoc involved… hmm. Likely something your sister Dawn would not approve of."

"Oh no, she wouldn't like it at all if she found out we were doing this, especially not now that we've got Fluttershy and Rarity here too." Gray rubbed the back of her neck. "I spoke with Havoc earlier today when we decided to just get this over with. She's telling Rainbow and Pinkie herself. Twilight and Applejack are gonna have to find out later, after the sandstorm and everything, but we knew we couldn't wait."

"Why not?" Fluttershy asked.

"The main reason is that at some point, somepony's gonna slip and you guys are gonna find out anyway, and we think it's best to just come right out and tell you. If I had money on it I'd say Velvet's been practically dying to tell Pinkie about it since you all got here, but she's probably scared of what Dawn'll do if she does. Havoc though? She doesn't care what Dawn thinks anymore."

"This sounds serious, dear," Rarity said, setting down her cup of coffee. "Well, do go on. We're listening."

Gray took another breath. "Okay, so… when you two," she said as she gestured at Fluttershy and Rarity, "arrived in our world seven years ago, our dad saw an opportunity to use you guys to distract Nihila so that he could kill her, and he used me and my sisters to help you do the distracting, then convince you to help with the killing. That was his big plan, and as we all know, it worked… more or less.

"But our dad knew that by yourselves you'd never serve as a real distraction to Nihila. She wanted to use you guys to fight a war with Harmonia or something, and Dad made her think that would work but that he needed agents to manipulate you into position so that she could… I dunno, mind control you. That much you know already."

"And we don't care that you first made friends with us for that reason," Fluttershy said firmly. "You're still our friends, no matter what."

Gray allowed herself to smile slightly. "Thanks, Shy. But… there's more to it than that." She took another breath. "Damn this is hard. See… we didn't even exist before our dad put his plan into effect."

Fluttershy and Rarity shared a look, and even Blackburn looked confused. "What does that mean, dear?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like: my sisters and I didn't exist before you guys showed up. Our dad used your genetic material to make us." Gray tapped her hooves together. "We're… clones. Of you."

Fluttershy and Rarity looked positively stunned and speechless; Fluttershy even dropped her coffee cup to the floor, but luckily it was empty.

It was Blackburn who reacted first, eyes wide with surprise. "New Pandemonium has genetic cloning technology?"

Gray smirked. "I figured that would be your first concern. Yeah, uh… we do. It's not publicly available or anything, and it's been pretty much kept under wraps and mostly out of use for the last seven years. My sisters and I are the last ponies made with that technology, but we're not the only ones. I mean, obviously it had to be tested first. But it works. Obviously."

"Obviously." Blackburn glanced between Lockwood and Flathoof, who were still sipping calmly from their coffees as they intently listened to the story. "You two knew. When? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I've known about it since a few weeks after our wedding," Lockwood said, setting down his coffee and taking Blackburn's hoof in his. "Curaçao told me and said that if she and I were to have a functional working relationship, we had to be honest with one another. She didn't mean it as a jab because I kept you from her, she understood that, but I think that was a catalyst."

"Gray told me while we were still just dating up north," said Flathoof, patting Gray's leg gently. "She wanted me to know in case it made me feel… uncomfortable. Dating her, I mean, when she's not like other ponies." With a smile, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "It didn't bother me. I was just glad she told me."

"Keeping secrets like this just leads to ponies getting hurt," Gray said, giving Blackburn a terse nod. "Whether Dawn was keeping information from you on purpose or somepony was keeping it from her, some stupid secret led to you and your family getting hurt and to Briarthorn getting killed. Havoc and I decided that enough was enough. No more big secrets."

"Hmm. Appreciate the honesty." Blackburn nodded and went back to sipping her coffee. "Cloning process was modified, of course. You and your sisters, no resemblance physically to your 'source' material. Hmm. Apart from eyes."

"Our dad modified us during the process, yeah," Gray said, tapping her hooves together. "It was more than just not making us look like our… 'originals', though. He wanted us to have complimentary personalities but not to be exactly the same. He even filled our heads with fake memories to help us feel more 'real', as contradictory as that sounds."

"That's why you were having trouble remembering things sometimes…" Fluttershy peeped, eyes wide. "Oh, Gray… I can't believe your father would do that to you."

Gray waved that thought off with a hoof. "Hey, there's no worries there, not anymore. It took some time coming to terms with it all, but it's turned out pretty okay for us, I think. Dad doesn't have to apologize to us; if he didn't do what he did, we wouldn't even exist. I wouldn't have made a really good friend in you, or found love in Flathoof, or have a beautiful filly of my own in Rosewater."

"So, you and your sisters are… modified copies of us?" Rarity asked, gesturing between herself and Fluttershy. "I suppose that makes sense, now that I give it some thought. I always felt this… bond with Insipid, like I'd known her for far longer than I really did. She was like a little sister to me, but one old enough to share a different experience with. And her eyes, oh, it was like looking into a mirror."

Rarity then tilted her head, looking into Gray's eyes as she did so. "But your eyes don't resemble Fluttershy's at all, darling. In fact… hmm, they look more like Rainbow Dash's."

"That's because I'm Rainbow's clone," Gray said with a shrug.

"Your father didn't assign you to Rainbow though. He assigned—" Rarity's eyes widened, and she looked between Fluttershy and Gray in shock. "No, that's— That can't be true. Can it?"

Gray smirked and nodded. "Yeah, it's weird, right? Havoc was cloned from Fluttershy."

Fluttershy scratched her head. "But… but she's nothing like me at all."

"Yeah, she said the same thing when we found out. Dad said it was because he had to work harder to make her 'different' from you because Nihila was watching. That's why she's so different from you… and why Curaçao's so different from Applejack."

Rarity set her coffee cup down firmly. "You're telling me that Curaçao, that lovely mare with the keen fashion sense, the classy demeanor, the elegant stature and poise, that Curaçao… was cloned from our Applejack?"

"Yup."

"And this entire story isn't a joke?"

"Nope."

Rarity shook her head. "Well, if your father made adjustments to her in order to make her different from Applejack, he certainly succeeded." She tapped her chin. "Now that you mention it though… yes, their eyes are the same. Say what you want about Applejack's less desirable traits, she certainly does clean up well, and she has the most lovely green eyes."

"I've gotta say, you guys are taking this in stride pretty well," Lockwood quipped with a little grin. "If somepony—my clone, in this case—told me that I'd been cloned, I'd be having a major existential freakout. Like what if I was the clone, and they were the original?"

"I don't think they have that specific problem here, buddy," Flathoof grunted.

Fluttershy and Rarity shared a look, then shrugged. "Darling, after years of adventures where we're from, I'll be honest… finding out that I have a clone is actually rather tame," Rarity said. "It certainly isn't much stranger than finding out the bride at a wedding turned out to be a shapeshifting tyrant out to take over Equestria by stealing love from the groom."

"Or finding the Mirror Pool and having to deal with a hundred Pinkie Pies running around," Fluttershy continued with a little grin. "So we've already got some experience dealing with clones, I guess. Though none of those other Pinkies were quite as unique as Red Velvet."

"Oh, and not to mention when Twilight was testing that spell that accidentally switched our cutie marks," Rarity laughed, patting Fluttershy's hoof. "You would think that changing our cutie marks—our talents—would just adjust how we go about our lives and nothing more. I had my mark originally switched with Rainbow Dash's, you see."

"So you started making 'cool' clothes?" suggested Gray.

"You'd think that would be the logical conclusion, right? On the contrary, I started doing her job, that is, weather manipulation, but I took my fashion experience with me and tried making clouds with lovely patterns."

"Illogical series of events," Blackburn muttered, scratching her cheek. "Cutie Mark dictates talent, drive, passion, not career."

"Right? Just because Pinkie had Applejack's cutie mark for a time shouldn't mean that she suddenly wants to work on her farm."

"Wouldn't she want to start incorporating apples into her parties or jokes or something?" Gray asked, tilting her head; this conversion had suddenly gone on a weird tangent, but she was glad that her friends weren't disturbed by the revelation. How weird was their world that they seriously weren't bothered by this?

"Would be logical scenario," Blackburn agreed.

Rarity shook her head. "And yet that's not how that situation went at all. Even when we continued changing marks while Twilight tried to fix it, we just completely upended our entire lives as if our cutie marks determined everything about us, and yet for some reason we kept our charming personalities."

"It turns out that I'm not very good with stand-up comedy…" Fluttershy muttered sheepishly.

"So, no, finding out that I have a clone—a real clone with her own personality, her own life—doesn't particularly faze me," Rarity said with a shrug. "All it does is give some context as to why Insipid and I got on so well so quickly. Who cares why it happened? I wouldn't give up my friendship with her for the world."

"She'll be glad to hear that," Gray said with a tiny smile. "Wow, this went smoother than I thought it was gonna go."

"Um, if it's alright, how did you handle finding out about this?" Fluttershy asked. "From what you've told us, it sounds like you didn't know about it at first. When did you find out?"

Gray leaned back and let out a breath. "We found out right after you guys left. Like an hour-ish later, basically, 'cause Dad said he needed to tell us before he left to be a god and stuff. It hit us pretty hard at first; I was angry about it because I figured that my whole life up 'til that point had been just a big ol' lie. That Dad had only made us as tools.

"But as I thought about it, I realized… I still had an entire life ahead of me to do with what I wanted. I still had a family, even if my sisters aren't mine by blood. I still had a friend in you, Shy, even though I knew you were a world apart." Gray set her hoof on Flathoof's. "And I still had somepony who I cared about and wanted to get to know more. So yeah, minor existential crisis at first, but I got over it."

"Did you all handle it so well?"

"Some of us did better than others. Red and Insipid handled it extremely well, Havoc was just angry at first because she didn't get why she was a clone of Fluttershy, Curaçao's pretty much unflappable—"

"You're telling me she handled finding out she was a clone better than she found out that I was marrying the queen of Hope’s Point?" Lockwood asked with a big grin.

Gray chuckled and shrugged. "Yup! I think that goes to show just how much of a loop you threw her for. That and I think she already suspected something was up with us, but she never thought for a second that 'Thunderbolt' was really Queen Blackburn. I think you basically served her up some humble pie."

Blackburn leaned back in her seat with an impossibly smug grin. "Amusing. Understand the feeling. Curaçao is a kindred soul."

"And Dawn?" asked Rarity.

Gray shrugged again, her smile fading. "Upset at first, but after that, who knows? Dawn barely talks to us about private matters, or at all really, unless it's business-related. Curaçao talks to her more than the rest of us combined, and that includes Velvet who talks to her regularly enough.

"All of us have little pieces of all of you still in us, y'know? With me and Rainbow, it's our sheer cool factor," Gray continued, scuffing her chest. "For Rarity and Insipid, it's their love for clothes and beauty; for Applejack and Curaçao, their focus on family and hard work; for Pinkie and Red, their easygoing, fun-loving attitudes; Havoc and Shy, heh, how much they like cute things, like foals and bunnies."

Blackburn smirked. "Ah, yes. Always cooed around Bluebolt when she was very young. Found it endearing. Hard exterior, mushy insides."

Fluttershy smiled wide. "Aww, that sounds adorable. I guess we really do have something in common."

"As for Dawn and Twilight, well, it's their smarts obviously. Twilight always struck me as somepony who was thorough and wanted to do things right; Dawn doesn't want to do things right, she wants to do them perfectly, but by her standards. It's just gotten worse, I think. She actively keeps things from us if she thinks we might screw it all up."

"Hmm, ramifications of revelation could explain her attitude," Blackburn suggested, taking a pointed sip of her coffee.

"What, you think she's been acting like this for all these years because she can't come to terms with how we were born?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Only a theory. Potential inferiority complex, brought on by existential dread. Knowledge of origins leads to philosophical questions, metaphysical in nature, no easy answers." Blackburn took a sharp breath. "Could lead to psychological trauma. Only a theory."

"Huh… I never thought of it that way. She's always been kind of a brat, but it only got worse after we found out where we came from. That's… hmm. I don't know how to deal with that. On one hoof, I guess I want to help if she's going through some trauma or something, but on the other, what if you're wrong and she's just a bitch, plain and simple?"

Blackburn shrugged, but said nothing more.

Gray paused a moment, then shook her head and returned her attention to Fluttershy and Rarity. "So, uh… yeah. Now you know the truth. Don't be mad at our dad for doing what he did, though. I know it's pretty messed up, but—"

"Darling, if your father hadn't done what he did, we'd have never met you and your sisters and made such good friends," Rarity said with a smile. "Is what he did wrong? Yes, absolutely; he took our… material, or whatever it is, and used it without our consent. Deplorable, despicable, and downright disgusting. But sometimes you have to look for the silver lining, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're glad to have you and your sisters in our lives."

"I wouldn't change a thing," Fluttershy said.

"Thanks, guys. That means a lot to me, to us." Gray let out a breath. "If you guys handled this so well, I'm sure Rainbow and Pinkie will too."

*****

The next day, Fluttershy arrived back at Gray's house—which was also the New Pandemonium City Embassy—to meet with her friend for lunch. The guards at the gate let her in without any issues, only a brief identification check just as part of the procedure, but Fluttershy could tell that they weren't particularly fussed about it. Her face was instantly recognizable to them by this point; they even greeted her by name when she arrived.

She'd walked all this way from the royal palace herself, by the way, and was proud to have done it. It had been a little nerve-wracking for the first few minutes since the city was still so strange and new to her, and to be honest she hadn't memorized the route yet, but true to Gray's word, this city felt so safe and friendly that there hadn't been any problems. She just asked for directions from a helpful-looking member of the city's militia—who in times of peace like this served as police—and was able to continue on her way without a hassle.

She was greeted at the door by the embassy's caretaker, Highbrow. He was an older unicorn stallion with a dark brown coat and a black mane that he kept cropped very short, and he sported a matching goatee and mustache. Truthfully, he was essentially a butler, and he dressed the part in a black tailcoat suit and white button-up shirt with a matching bow tie.

"Good afternoon, Miss Fluttershy," Highbrow greeted with a polite bow. "Your timing is impeccable. May I take your jacket?" he offered. He had the most lovely Trottingham accent… though she supposed in this world it would be from someplace different.

Fluttershy nodded. "Oh yes, thank you," she said as she allowed him to remove the jacket that she was wearing over her blouse; it had been Rarity's idea in keeping with the city's current fashion trends, and Fluttershy didn't mind it at all since it kept her warm when walking about.

Highbrow hung the jacket delicately in the coat closet near the door, then gestured politely towards the hallways ahead. "If you'll follow me, Miss Fluttershy, the drawing room is just this way."

She nodded and followed behind him, still feeling so strange doing so. Hope's Point was, at least to her, not terribly different from Canterlot, the aesthetic and technology notwithstanding, so it stood that there were wealthy and well-to-do ponies here just as there were back home and that their homes were well-furnished and well-staffed. It made sense for the royal palace to have such a staff, definitely.

But that wasn't what was strange.

It was strange that Gray was one of these sorts of ponies, in a manner of speaking. The same Gray that Fluttershy remembered being anti-establishment, anti-fashion, and maybe just a tad anti-social, well, she was in a position of power now and seemed to enjoy the perks of it all. Fluttershy wondered how exactly this had all come to pass, and intended on finding out; there was only so much time in the day and so many other things to catch up on that she hadn't asked about the ambassador job yet.

The embassy's drawing room was elegant yet simple, small and cozy with enough room for maybe fifteen ponies to have a pleasant little get-together. Fluttershy inwardly laughed at the idea that Gray lived in a place that was so fancy that it had a drawing room; Rarity had often mentioned how she wished that she had the money to live someplace that had a drawing room, amongst other amenities. It would take years yet to afford something like that in Canterlot or Manehattan.

Gray and Flathoof were already present, seated together on a couch near a central coffee table that was already laden with assorted foods and drinks. This was where Fluttershy could actually believe that Gray was really Gray and hadn't actually changed, because despite the layout of the room and the atmosphere, the food and drink offerings were amusingly simple:

A bowl of chips with a side of dip—two flavors of each, even; a plate of veggies; a plate of simple bite-sized sandwiches; and for drinks, water, three different flavors of soda in standard-sized cans, and a large plastic bottle of ginger ale. This was less a lunch than it was a snack bar one would encounter at a viewing party for a playoff game in pretty much any sport.

"Hey, Shy, just in time!" Gray said with a smile and a wave. "Come on, pull up a seat. Always glad to have ya."

Fluttershy smiled and nodded, then took a seat on the couch opposite the couple. "Thanks for having me over," she said. "Sorry that it was so sudden, but I know that Rarity's busy with some things and will probably just have lunch with Lockwood or something. Not that I mind, of course. It's good getting to spend time with all of you again."

"And like we said, you're always welcome here whenever you want," Flathoof said with a nod of his own. "If you want to stick around until the kids are home from school, we're fine with that too."

"That sounds lovely, thank you."

Highbrow stepped over to the table and eyed the fare with a look of disapproval. "Ah, I see that we have brought out the fine dining for this engagement. Madam, would you like me to perhaps obtain some cheese puffs to accompany this smorgasbord? Or perhaps some pizza rolls?"

Gray shook her head. "Nah, I think we've got all we need here. Oh! Actually, I forgot the ranch dressing to go with the veggies. Could you bring a bottle from the fridge?"

"Of course, Madam. Would you prefer that I bring a dipping bowl as well, or do you plan on guzzling it straight from the bottle?"

"A bowl is fine. Thanks, Highbrow."

"Of course, Madam." He then bowed briefly and trotted off.

Fluttershy blinked and watched him go, then turned back to Gray; she and Flathoof had started serving themselves some snacks, so Fluttershy followed suit. "You're sure you're okay with him being so… condescending?"

Gray smirked and brushed that thought away. "Who, Highbrow? Nah, he's cool. He's got proper butler training from working up north in the high-class areas, so me and Flathoof don't exactly mesh with what he's used to. You'd think I'd be bothered by it, but I'll be straight with you: I enjoy his honesty."

"And he's great with the kids," said Flathoof. "By which I mean he keeps his opinions to himself but takes care of them just like he does for us. Besides, we don't always, ah… 'sink' back down to our 'low-class' roots. We try to balance stuff like this out with things that he actually likes and approves of. It's fun. We hosted a dinner party a couple of weeks ago, actually. First time I've ever done anything like that."

"Oh yeah, that was fun. Felt kind of weird 'cause it was basically like any old party with all our friends and some other guests, but like… we did it all fancy and stuff? Highbrow helped walk us through all the steps, like what food to serve, how to handle hors d'oeuvres… what an hors d'oeuvre even is, and how to dress."

"And I'd say I look pretty snappy in a tux," Flathoof said with a grin, nose in the air. "When it fits, at least."

"I'll drink to that," Gray said as she took a drink of soda.

Fluttershy tilted her head, barely suppressing a grin. "I'd have never thought you'd ever give something like that a try. It certainly does sound like a lot of fun. The only dinner parties I've ever been to are hosted by Rarity's friends in Canterlot, and I don't know many of those ponies too well. Well, outside of the few who recognize me from my old modeling work."

"It was just something new we thought we'd take a shot at," Gray said with a shrug. "We probably won't do anything like that again for a while."

"A shame, really," said Highbrow, who had just returned with the bottle of ranch dressing and a small dipping bowl that he had already filled. "I am of the opinion that your guests rather enjoyed themselves and would not be opposed to further engagements of such a nature in the near future."

"Meh. I think they have just as much fun when we have regular parties and get-togethers too."

"Yes, well, those tend to still possess some level of class to them compared to… whatever this is. Will that be all, Madam?"

"Yeah, thanks Highbrow."

He bowed again, then took his leave.

Gray clapped her hooves together. "So! I know that you didn't call to come over here just to hear about our social lives, boring as those are most of the time. What's up? Something bugging you?"

"Not exactly bugging me, no," Fluttershy admitted; there was no use trying to deny she'd wanted to talk to Gray for a specific reason. "It's more that I have some follow-up questions that I hadn't really considered until I had time to think about them, otherwise I would have asked them yesterday."

"Ah. This is about the whole 'clone' thing. You're sure you and Rarity are still cool with it?"

"Yes, we are. The more I think about it, actually, the more it makes sense." Fluttershy grinned and gestured at Gray's face. "Your eyes. They look exactly like Rainbow Dash's, like you said. I thought about it, and I think that might just be why I was able to trust you so quickly."

"You mean that it wasn't because of my winning personality?" Gray quipped.

Fluttershy giggled into her hoof. "That was part of it, sure, but the eyes helped. I've known Rainbow a long time, longer than I've known any of my other friends. She and I weren't exactly close in middle school or high school, but she was… a good friend to me." She gestured at Gray's face again. "I saw her eyes on your face, and when I looked into them I saw somepony who I know and trust looking back… so that helped put me at ease, I think."

"Huh… well, that's an interesting way to look at it. Y'know apart from me and my sisters with one another, I don't think anypony's ever really brought it up before, our eyes I mean. You'd have to be taking a good look at both sets to really notice the similarities. Maybe that's part of why Havoc and Dash clicked so quickly; Dash saw a bit of you in Havoc."

"It's kind of sweet, when you put it like that," Flathoof said with a grin. "Like making friends all over again."

"And nopony else has noticed the similarities?" Fluttershy asked.

Gray shook her head. "Not that I— Well… hmm. Actually, that's not true." She nudged Flathoof. "Didn't your brother say Insipid and Rarity have the same eyes?"

"Yeah, I think he mentioned that once. That was a long time ago though, I'm surprised you remember it. I hadn't even thought of it 'til you reminded me."

Fluttershy tilted her head. "Are Insipid and Lockwood close?"

"Not as much lately, no," Gray said. "But before he made the big move south with the family, he and Insipid spent a little bit of time together, sure. I think he was introducing her to some other contacts he knew so that all the pressure wasn't on those designer pals of hers. It must've worked 'cause she's super successful."

"That and I think Rarity asked him to keep an eye on her," Flathoof added. "I don't know why she'd need him to do anything like that, but it was nice of him to do it regardless. Heh. As much as I'm glad that you two ended up down here in Hope's Point, I'm sure Insipid would've loved it if you'd have ended up up north again. Or just Rarity, at least."

"Oh yeah, she's been bugging me for updates on Rarity constantly," Gray chuckled. She turned back to Fluttershy. "So yeah, I guess if my eyes helped you bond with me sooner or easier or whatever, that's a pretty neat thought. I figure that's what happened with all of you in one way or another."

"Mmhm," Fluttershy agreed. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about, actually. I wanted to ask, um… why did you decide to reveal that information when you did? I know that you told us your reasoning and I believe it, I do, but… I can't help but get the feeling there's more to it than just keeping us in the loop, so to speak. You said something about Dawn not liking the idea?"

"Oh, yeah. No, she wouldn't be happy if she knew that Havoc and I were planning that, so we did it without asking her for permission." Gray shrugged and shook her head. "I'm sure Havoc probably roped Velvet into joining her to tell Rainbow and Pinkie, and knowing her she also would’ve kept Curaçao in the loop. I know Curie wouldn't mind; she told Lockwood, after all, and Dawn would argue that he doesn't have business knowing either."

"She'd probably argue that I don't have business knowing," Flathoof grunted.

"She'd disapprove of you telling your husband where you come from?" Fluttershy asked, confused and curious.

"Probably, yeah," Gray huffed. "Dawn's very much the sort that believes in a 'need-to-know' basis about everything. If she sees no practical or beneficial reason to share information, she just plain doesn't do it." With a sneer, she added, "A couple of weeks ago, somepony attacked Velvet. I'm gonna get the whole story from her in person after the sandstorm clears, but yeah, that happened."

"Oh dear. Is she alright? I mean, she looked okay when we looked in on her, but—"

"Physically, yeah, she's fine. Emotionally, no… I don't think so. Her son Caramel got hurt during the attack. That's a long story in and of itself." Gray shook her head. "I didn't find out about it until Havoc told me a week later, when she was down here getting fixed up after… well, that's another long story. Lockwood should be the one to share that, or Havoc herself. Lots of messy business over the past few weeks.

"Anyway, Havoc told me what happened and she was surprised that Dawn didn't. Dawn wants everything to go through her unless it's private stuff, so when she found out what happened it should've been her responsibility to share it with me. But she didn't. She didn't think it was important to share since I don't live there anymore and it didn't involve me."

"But… but Velvet's your sister! I would want to know if something awful happened to my brother, no matter what our relationship might be like."

"Well, a shame that Dawn isn't more like you then, I guess." Gray clapped her hooves together. "That's why Havoc and I did this on our own. If Dawn doesn't want to share something, then we'll just take it into our own hooves to do what Dawn won't. We're both sick and tired of being treated like this.

"I think Blackburn's right. I think that Dawn's insecure about what we are and where we came from. I think that she's afraid that if somepony found out she's 'just' a clone of Twilight, it might hurt her somehow. Like maybe it would damage her political career because ponies distrust her over it, or maybe they're disgusted by it or even afraid of her. That's all that matters to her in the end: her work."

"And she doesn't even want you to tell the ponies you know and love? The ponies you trust?"

"No, she doesn't. She doesn't think the rest of us deserve the right to share it. Curaçao risked her entire working relationship with Dawn to let Lockwood know about it. If Dawn were to ever find out about that—"

"She'd be stupid to cut ties with Curaçao," Flathoof interjected.

"Yeah, but Dawn might do something stupid if she's angry enough."

"For what it's worth, Gray… I think you're a responsible, trustworthy mare," Fluttershy said, reaching over the table a little to take Gray's hoof in hers. "I'm happy that you shared this secret with me, more than you can imagine. You're my friend, and I'm happy that you trust me enough to tell me.

"And I'd be happy to tell Dawn that, too, if you want. Not that you told me any of this, but that I think you deserve respect, respect that she's not showing you." Fluttershy put her other hoof on Gray's too. "I just want you to be happy. And I know that the way Dawn treats you doesn't make you happy."

Gray smiled, her face a little red. "Thanks, Shy. That means a lot to me. You're a really good friend. I'm glad to have you back, even if it's only for a little while."

Fluttershy returned the smile. "Me too."

*****

Rarity took mental note of the atmosphere of this little restaurant that Lockwood and Blackburn had invited her to for lunch, trying to get a feel for whether or not she was overdressed or underdressed.

Everything seemed classy on a surface level, and her keen eye for detail told her that all of the gold and gems used for the décor was legitimate. The wait staff were dressed in a professional manner with suits and even bowties, including the mares. The tables were covered with white tablecloths. There was even a fountain and a waterfall display near the far wall. The only way the atmosphere could be better was if they had a view of the sea, but the sandstorm would put the kibosh on that regardless.

Then there was the menu. The wine list was hard to judge because she didn't know anything about the regions of this world, but the prices looked about right. The food offerings were of Romantique origin, and this particular restaurant was apparently famous for its soup offerings; the chestnut soup sounded divine, so Rarity had ordered that. She allowed Lockwood to order the wine since he seemed to know it best between the three of them.

Yes, this was a fine establishment, more than suitable for the lovely teal dress—satin, since that seemed to be the direction the trends were taking—she'd worn under her jacket, so she had no qualms with the fact that she'd left her jacket at the door. That had been the first sign of class, by the way; only the finest of establishments offered to take your coat at the door. Or had a doorpony, for that matter.

They sat in a private booth in the corner that gave them a lovely view of most of the restaurant, especially the fountain and waterfall, but also allowed Gadget to have plenty of room to stand or sit if she wished whilst she did her duty and stood guard over her charges. Apparently she and Crossfire "split" duties when the royal couple were together, but were both on duty when they were apart; Crossfire was off spending time with his wife, Pattycake, and Rarity was positive that that was Flathoof and Lockwood's younger sister's name.

Small world.

Rarity couldn't imagine anypony trying anything against the King and Queen, at any rate, but such was tradition she supposed. Even the booth itself was considered the "royal" booth, and every restaurant in the city had one by law, apparently, if only to allow the royal family privacy and comfort wherever they went.

"I must say, I'm quite impressed with your choice for our lunch venue, Lockwood," Rarity noted as their waiter served them glasses of ice-cold water in chilled glasses. "I never took you for the sort to enjoy such a high-class establishment. No offense, of course."

"Back up north, no, but that's because I couldn't afford it," he replied with a smile as he took a drink. "Even if I could, though, this wouldn't have been an everyday thing. I'm of the opinion that a pony should have variety in their diet and should sample everything they possibly can."

"My my, how worldly of you," she tittered in response. "I tend to agree. There's a time and place for less high-flung fare every now and then. I didn't have much opportunity for high-class meals when living in Ponyville, but I'll never forget those roots. I've been known to indulge in a plate of hay fries when the mood strikes me."

"Ooh, there's this great hay fries joint on the other side of the dining quarter that I'd love to take you to if you're ever interested. Though fair warning now, I think it's only so good because their secret ingredient is salt. Lots of salt."

"Aha. Well, that sounds lovely, we'll have to do that sometime." She turned to Blackburn. "How about you, Your Majes— Blackburn. Sorry. I am trying to get used to it. I don't know as many queens as I do princesses, and despite appearances it's not exactly the same."

"Quite alright, no harm done," Blackburn said, also sipping on her water.

Rarity had to admire the way the other mare carried herself; there was just something about her that radiated strength, willpower, charisma. Her Cutie Mark, a black crown wreathed in blue fire, indicated that her talent was surely for leadership, and it was hard to deny it. Rarity had only known her a few days and yet she was willing to hang on every word.

And that was despite the mare's… odd manner of speaking.

"Suggested establishment for lunch today," Blackburn said with a nod. "Lockwood offered choices, selected this one. Your home, 'Canterlot', description resembles southern capital, Utopia. Unsure if truly comparable, selected anyway, might provide sense of familiarity."

"I'd very much like to visit this 'Utopia' if the entire city can be compared to this," Rarity mused, tapping her chin. "Canterlot is lovely and has many fine establishments, but it always pays to keep one's eyes open for new opportunities."

"Hmm, indeed. Enjoying your stay?" With a smile, Blackburn added, "Know you are; question just formality. Still want answer."

"Yes, well, I think it does go without saying that I've been enjoying myself fairly well considering the circumstances of our visit." Rarity shook her head. "If Fluttershy and I are to remain here in your care until that dreadful sandstorm clears, then I’m glad that it’s in such good company and in such a delightful environment."

"We just want to make sure that you two are safe and secure," Lockwood said with a nod. "No repeats of your last trip here, no sir. No filth-ridden alleyways, no threats of incarceration, no tiny apartments, no pollution. And no stairs."

Rarity playfully slapped Lockwood's hoof. "Ha! True enough, darling. I don't mind a few stairs every now and again, but eighty-plus stairs every single day, up and down? Well, it may have done wonders for the shape of my derriere but goodness was I ever exhausted every night when I came back home."

"It certainly did," Lockwood said with a grin. After a brief pause. "Exhaust you, I mean. You told me about every time we spoke, and I had to tell you that no, the city's building codes didn't allow us to install an elevator, especially not a private one."

"Have adapted to our city's fashion," Blackburn interjected before Rarity could think too much about the comment. "How does it compare to home?"

Rarity smiled. "Ah, well, I'll be honest in saying that I'm still getting used to it. The colors aren't as extravagant as Canterlot's or Manehattan's typical fare, but I can appreciate a desire for practicality. Since it would seem that I'll be here for a while, I planned on giving a go at making something for myself soon, rather than relying on your generosity to provide me with some variety."

"Stars know we need some variety around here," quipped Gadget from nearby.

"Beg pardon?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Miss Rarity, Her Majesty isn't the most fashion-forward mare in the city. She owns four copies of that same jacket, just in different lengths depending on how cold it is."

"Hmm, true," Blackburn admitted with a shrug. "Never considered fashion important. Jackets are practical, useful."

"You at least attempt to accessorize, though," Rarity noted. "That scarf of yours is lovely. I haven't seen you without it."

The queen held the end of the scarf in her hoof, looking at it with a solemn frown. "A memento. From my mother, gift from her mother. Always wear it; plan to give to Bluebolt when she's older, continue tradition."

Rarity understood immediately and gave the queen a respectful nod. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother. She gave you a lovely gift."

"Hmm."

"So, ah… Miss Gadget, you are interested in fashion, I take it?" Rarity asked to get as far away from the uncomfortable topic as possible; besides being in poor taste at a lunch meeting such as this, it would be tacky to dwell on it in any case unless in private, perhaps even in private.

"Yeah, kind of. I know I always wear this get-up here when I'm on duty," Gadget said, gesturing at her coveralls. "But I definitely don't when I'm not on duty. A girl can't wear this out on a date."

"No, they most certainly can not."

"So yeah, it might be nice having somepony around that I can talk to about that kind of stuff every now and then, even if it's just while you're here. Most of the mares Her Majesty spends time with are just like her. Like, have you seen Chief Storm? She wears that body armor of hers everywhere. I bet she wears it to sleep and in the shower and everything."

"Practical, advantageous in the event of an attack," Blackburn said while sipping from her water. "Pays to be prepared."

"Yeah yeah yeah, but there are limits to that kind of thing. I doubt anypony'd try to attack her in the shower, so she doesn't need to wear it there. I'd pity any perv that tried anything anyway."

"A shame, too," Rarity said, leaning back in her seat slightly. "She has a lovely figure. A proper blouse would show off her musculature, particularly in her chest and abdomen. She is certainly one of the most athletic unicorns I've ever met, mare or stallion."

Blackburn shook her head. "Likely would refuse, also shows off abdominal scarring."

"Ah… I see. Hmm." Rarity nodded, more to herself than anypony else. "Well, I've been known to work greater miracles. I'm sure that if I were to make an effort, I might find something appropriate to do with those, whatever she wants to do. Even a tough-as-nails mare like her deserves to feel beautiful once in a while."

"Hmm. She might appreciate that." Blackburn then leaned back and gestured at herself. "Question: if asked, what would you recommend for me?"

"For you?"

"Yes. Curious."

Rarity tapped her chin and eyed the other mare's figure briefly, for that was all she really needed. She'd prefer if they were standing up rather than seated, but she'd seen the mare standing and walking already, so that wasn't an issue. The queen had an attractive blend of muscle tone and shapeliness that drew one's eyes in easily. Yes, it was obvious why Lockwood had been drawn to her, at least physically.

"My recommendations would depend on the context of the occasion you're dressing for, of course," Rarity said thoughtfully. "For simplicity's sake, let us say for the current venue and company. This would be considered 'casual elegant', so a more formal dress would be appropriate, but not too fancy. And for color… black. Always black. It goes with your coat and your eyes. White is nice, but black is better."

"Wow, all that in fifteen seconds?" Lockwood whistled. He nudged Blackburn gently. "See? Fashion savant."

"You flatter me, dear," Rarity tittered. "I'll admit that I've been thinking about it since I first met her. I tend to always have a thought in my head about what a mare would look best in if given the opportunity. Stallions too, of course, though I have no advice for you, not these days. You look rather dashing in white, especially in vests and shirts rather than that old raincoat of yours."

"And the fedora? I liked that old thing."

"Maybe not for everyday wear. It hides your eyes, and that's just a dreadful crime."

Blackburn nodded. "Can agree to that."

Lockwood shook his head. "Sheesh, was it really that bad?"

"Yes," both Rarity and Blackburn said in unison.

It was an… odd feeling agreeing with the queen so readily like that, and Rarity felt tremendously awkward doing it. She hoped that her comments wouldn't be interpreted the wrong way. Okay, fine, she did find Lockwood attractive, but she didn't want Blackburn thinking that she was flirting with him or anything. Because she wasn't. She'd never dream of it. Anymore, anyway.

Gadget then injected herself into the conversation again, nudging Lockwood's shoulder. "Your Majesty, I've got an incoming call for you from Secretary Virtuoso. He wants to speak with you about a business arrangement that's being made that he says you had some input on? Something about shipping?"

"Oh, that old thing? I thought we'd handled that. Hmm." Lockwood looked to the other two mares at the table with a sheepish grin. "Apologies, ladies, but I've got to take this. It shouldn't take too long, I hope."

As he was leaving—Gadget along with him since apparently she had the equipment needed for him to take the call—the waiter arrived with a bottle of red wine and three glasses.

Lockwood pointed at the bottle before he was out of sight. "And save some for me!"

"We'll try, darling!" Rarity called back with a smile.

Once Lockwood and Gadget were out of view, Blackburn gestured at the wine bottle. "Shall we?"

Rarity nodded. "Indeed we shall."

Blackburn then nodded at the waiter, who poured two glasses, leaving Lockwood's empty for the time being, before bowing and leaving the table once dismissed. Rarity gave the wine a little swirl in her glass and breathed it in, and was rather impressed with the fruity tropical scent.

And then there was the taste, and oh, Rarity knew then that she'd need to commend Lockwood on his selection; that stallion knew a fine wine. It was simpler than the more fruit-forward affairs at home, but still plenty ripe with a pleasant… was that cantaloupe? In red wine? How strange, and yet bizarrely pleasant.

A glance at Blackburn, though, told her that the other mare was not the connoisseur that she was, as the queen had already imbibed nearly a third of her glass while Rarity had only taken the barest of sips.

Blackburn seemed to notice Rarity's look, and set down her glass with a smile. "Not a wine aficionado. Prefer harder stuff, or beer when drinking light. Never cared much for wine culture, but appreciate it from outside perspective. Requires attentiveness, attention to detail, intellect, careful study." She took a breath. "Good qualities to have."

Rarity set her glass down as well after taking a second small sip, then gave a short nod. "May I let you in on a little secret?"

Blackburn nodded.

"Ever since I was a little filly, I dreamed of being part of high society. The glitz, the glamour, all of it. And part of that society involves drinking wine and champagne at parties and lunches and dinner affairs. It's not required, no, but I wanted to fit in. So, even when I was underage, I made it a point to study the aspects of such things."

At that, Blackburn's lips curled in a little grin. "Breaking rules now, allows following them later?"

"Precisely. I never drank too much, of course—I've never been drunk once in my life—but I gradually started to learn how to describe a wine, from its colors and smell to its taste and texture." Rarity smiled and touched up her mane. "It's such a small part of being a high-society mare, but every little bit helps when you're trying to belong."

Blackburn looked slightly sad, yet happy, all at once. "Resemblance… truly uncanny…"

"Hmm?"

"Father remarried after losing my mother. Did not wait long enough in my opinion, irrelevant now anyway. Stepmother, Silver Glow, nobleborn mare from southern continent. Beautiful, fashionable, classy. Like you." Blackburn shook her head. "Physical resemblance, uncanny as well. Different color manes—yours purple, hers blue—but coat color exactly the same, eye color the same."

Rarity didn't know what to make of the comparison, so she took a neutral approach for her response, which of course meant not to respond at all.

"Never liked her," Blackburn said bluntly; Rarity was glad she'd stuck to the neutral reply. "Multitude of reasons. Attempted to replace mother; tried to make me something I'm not. Worse, never got angry, never punished me, never asked father to do so; always took high road when I lashed out. Hated her for it.

"Years went by, feelings never changed, never subsided. Until she found out about Lockwood. Indirectly, never knew him, never knew his name, only suspected a relationship. Kept secret from father, from most friends, from everypony; she figured it out." Blackburn chuckled and shook her head. "Still amuses me. Wish they could've met, would've gotten along well.

"Had… heart-to-heart. Realized how behavior hurt her. Wanted to make amends. Never had the chance." Blackburn sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Murdered in NPAF attack. Long before peace talks were even dreamt of, before Lockwood returned to me. Father killed in same attack, so I took the throne. Never made amends."

There was a long pause, and Rarity took her chance to speak, "I'm… terribly sorry to hear about all of that, Blackburn. You have my condolences—"

"No need. Have come to terms, have grieved, have moved on." Blackburn shook her head. "Thought I did. Then you came. You remind me of her. Brings back memories… some bad, but some… some good." When Rarity made to speak, Blackburn held up a hoof. "Do not intend to make you uncomfortable. Just… an observation. Have been sifting out bad memories, keeping good ones."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, I think," Rarity said, nervously taking another sip of wine.

"Change of topics. Question: do you love my husband?"

Rarity very nearly choked on her wine and had to use a tremendous amount of effort not to spit it all over herself and the table. "I… beg your pardon?"

"Ah, apologies. Poor wording. Hmm… no, not poor wording, but open to misinterpretation." Blackburn cleared her throat. "Not asking if you are in love with my husband. Asking if you love him. Platonically, of course."

"O-of course. Of course that's what you meant, yes… platonically," Rarity said with a nervous smile; her heart was beating so fast she was worried it was going to burst. "I… I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Hmm, thought question was clear—"

"No no, the question is quite clear now that you've cleared it up. I just don't understand the reasoning for the question."

"Ah. Simple: there are many types of friendships. My friendship with Stellar Storm is professional, but also casual; share a drink on occasion, rarely speak on personal matters. Gadget and Crossfire, though, I love. Like sister and brother I never had. Briarthorn… I loved him as well. Platonic, close friend, like family. Complicated at times, used to date when younger, were… intimate."

Rarity blinked. "Aha… I think I understand. Well, in that case… y-yes, I do. I consider him as close a friend as I consider Fluttershy. Not quite the brother I never had, no, but… we are close. He has been an immensely good friend to me, and to my other friends. We owe him so much for helping us on our last visit to this world."

"Hmm, a fair answer," Blackburn said, tapping her chin. "Another question then: you made an advance on Lockwood during your last visit. Why?"

Rarity paled; she could feel her entire body lose its luster from the sheer shock. "Wh-what?"

"Lockwood explained situation," Blackburn said matter-of-factly; the fact that she was so… calm was rather unnerving. "Want to hear your side."

"I… he… he what? He told you?"

"Of course. We do not keep secrets." Blackburn gestured at Rarity to continue.

Rarity felt her stomach drop; this was not what she wanted to talk about right now, not ever, but there wasn't really a way for her to escape. No windows nearby, there were too many ponies that would see her fleeing, and where would she hide afterwards anyway? Blackburn could just walk down the halls at the royal palace to the room where Rarity was staying. And she could order soldiers to comb the streets for her if she tried to hide elsewhere. What was she going to—

"Please, Rarity. Just want your side. No need to be afraid," Blackburn said, still so unnervingly calm.

"I… w-well, I…" Rarity flustered a moment, then took a deep breath. "It was… it was a misunderstanding. Entirely my doing, so don't blame Lockwood for anything. He… he came to support me on the night of a big fashion show, and we were in my dressing room beforehand. He simply complimented me on my dress and how I looked, and I interpreted it as flirting."

Blackburn nodded. "Indeed. Lockwood openly complimentary, never did realize when it could be misinterpreted. Mixed signals. Odd concept from a stallion."

"Yes, well, there's that, and… I was lonely," Rarity admitted with a sigh. "Back home, there aren't very many eligible bachelors around. I hadn't had much luck in finding an ideal partner since high school, and the few who I thought would fit my standards… didn't in the end. And Lockwood was so charming and handsome and treated me like a lady, and… and I guess that I saw something that wasn't there.

"So when he said those things to me, treated me the way he did, I decided that even if I'd never seen him again, I wanted to… to feel what it was like. To be with somepony who cared about me. It was my fault, I didn't know he wasn't trying to flirt or anything of the sort. I didn't know that he had you. He stopped me before I did anything that I'd regret, and he told me… well, enough. So I dropped it."

"And you swore never to talk about it. With anypony," Blackburn said, still calm.

"Yes, that's… that's what we thought was best. I didn't want him to tell anypony out of fear that he'd ruin what he had with you. I didn't even know you yet, but I could tell that he missed you terribly."

"And you?"

"Hmm?"

"Were you afraid of what would happen to you if anypony found out?"

Rarity blinked, then shook her head. "No. Not at all. And not just because I was leaving this world soon, at the time."

"Have you told anypony then?"

Rarity closed her eyes, then nodded. "Fluttershy knows, and only her, because I trust her and love her enough to be able to share my failures with her whatever they may be. She knows about every one of my failed attempts at romance, after all. I felt it was only fair."

"Hmm, acceptable." Blackburn nodded firmly and leaned back in her seat comfortably. "Thank you for telling me."

"I… th-that's it?"

"Yes. That's it. Only wanted your side."

Rarity blinked. "Why?"

"Personal curiosity. Trust my husband implicitly, know he wouldn't lie. Question wasn't to 'catch' him. Just curiosity. Nothing more."

Rarity blinked again; she was so lost that she needed a map to find her way back to where her state of mind had been only a few minutes ago. "So you're not angry?"

"No. Why would I be? Nothing happened. You dropped issue. Anger solves nothing." Blackburn tilted her head. "Hmm, incorrect. Was angry when first learned of this. Not at you, not at Lockwood. With myself. Allowed situation to happen in the first place, didn't bring Lockwood with me years before.

"But then, can see the silver lining. Lockwood still up north, met you and your friends, became acquainted with Curaçao and her sisters. Eventually, led to peace prospects currently in the works. Might not have happened without him being there." Blackburn smiled. "Life works in mysterious ways."

"I…" Rarity shook her head. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it."

"Only way of looking at it." Blackburn's eyes drifted slightly to the side, then back to Rarity. "Lockwood and Gadget returning. Do not mention conversation to Lockwood. Not a royal order; personal request. He would not have approved, had to lure him away to ask, needed to ask questions without him present." She took a breath. "Would have influenced your answers with his presence alone."

Rarity gulped and nodded. "Very well, I won't mention this to him… or to anyone, even Fluttershy. This was a private conversation between two mares, yes?"

Blackburn smiled. "Yes."

As Lockwood got back to the table and greeted the two mares again, then started talking to Blackburn about how bizarre his phone conversation had been, Rarity found herself unable to really pay much attention to any of it. She was more focused on the beating in her chest and the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Even as the group returned to lunch and the food arrived, she felt like she was on autopilot the entire way.

She did know one thing for certain, though: she was going to take a bottle of wine back to her room with her when lunch was over.

Chapter Seven: Recover

It was an eerie sort of quiet that filled the gryphon ruins. It wasn't just the quiet that one could expect of an abandoned town, or the quiet of an ancient cavern, or even the quiet of some old, musty mausoleum. In those there was always still a sense of something being around you, something that made you feel like you weren't alone. Some ponies considered it creepy, some ponies looked at it sensibly. Surely there were skittering rodents and insects about, or at the very least the echoes of water dripping from some crack in the ceiling that let in the rain, or the barest hints of wind.

There was none of that here. Just an eerie quiet, as if sound itself had abandoned these old halls and left nothing behind but dust.

Applejack found it a bit unnerving, but not so much as to actually make her nervous. She was just confused, really. "How come there ain't no sound in here?" she asked Hourglass, who was busy recording something with that nifty pocket watch. "That ain't normal."

"The cursed plague that killed all the gryphons also killed every living thing in the city way back when," Hourglass explained, keeping her attention on her readings. "All the way down to the bacteria. And since there aren't really any animals or bugs or anything up here in the north apart from the Gargantuans, nothing's come back into the ruins to make it their home."

"Yeah, like I said, 'tain't normal. But 'sides that, ain't there a huge sandstorm ragin' outside?" Applejack removed her hat and stared at the ceiling high above the foyer they were currently in. "Why can't we even hear that?"

Hourglass tapped her chin. "That… I can't explain. Maybe the walls are just that thick, but I'd chalk it up to the curse purposefully trying to make the ruins as creepy as bloody possible, and does it work or what, huh?"

"Shucks, who makes a curse that can do somethin' like that?"

"An evil goddess with a vendetta and the gryphons that helped her enemies, that's who. Nihila created the curse, and Silvertongue unleashed it on them on her orders." Hourglass shook her head, her expression solemn. "Wiping out an entire race like that, it's just… evil. I don't know how Silvertongue could live with himself after something like that."

Applejack shook her head. "I know they're our friends 'n' all, but I really oughta have a word wit' Dawn and her sisters one o' these days. I don't know if they know 'bout all the stuff their dad did, but if they don't, they oughta. He don't sound like no 'hero' ta me."

"You think that's bad, you oughta hear about the Blood Mire out east of the mountains. The whole place is like a swamp made out of fleshy sap, and it's filled with zombified ponies who succumbed to the Red Death." Hourglass shuddered. "At least the plague just outright disintegrated the gryphons. It reanimates ponies and turns them into monsters. The barrier's the only thing keeping them from overrunning the entire Wasteland."

Applejack replaced her hat on her head. She didn't really have a response to that; this Blood Mire place sounded like a nightmare. And all of this was because Silvertongue had to make sure Nihila trusted him enough that he could betray her eventually? It certainly explained why Twilight had been so disgusted that they'd had to rely on him to get home. It sounded like he'd gotten away with all of these horrors scot-free.

"'Tain't right." That was about all she could muster.

"Agreed," Hourglass said, holding out the Timekeeper while it did its work.

"So, gettin' anythin' worthwhile yet? What're these here readings you're gettin' for, anyhow?"

"A couple of weeks ago, there was a big surge of Dark magic that originated from these ruins. It threw the world's balance out of whack, and I'm sure you remember that being a bad thing?"

"That's what happened 'round here when my friends 'n' I showed up last time, weren't it? 'Cept I 'member it bein', uh, 'Light' magic or somethin' that we were causin'. Does that mean y'all got somepony from another world that's, uh… evil? Or somethin' like that?"

"That would make things easier, so I wish that were the case," Hourglass sighed. "It's… well, I don't know how much I'm allowed to talk about it. Winter might get mad at me if I share too much—"

"Sugarcube, you can trust me not ta go spillin' that ya done tol' me anything," Applejack said, setting her hoof on Hourglass's shoulder. "If ya don't wanna tell me, that's fine. But I figure if we're gonna be in these here ruins fer a while waitin' fer Winter ta come back, we're gonna run outta stuff ta talk about sooner or later. Don't hurt none ta have somethin' ta talk about."

Hourglass smiled briefly. "I suppose so. I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask. If it makes ya feel better, I can share some stuff 'bout me or somethin' ta keep us even."

"That sounds fair. Okay, how about this: how did you and Twilight meet? You sure seem dedicated to her, and that's not something I'd expect from just any old friend."

Applejack smiled. "Well shucks, that's an easy one. It was… shoot, had ta be 'bout ten years ago, give or take…"

She explained how Twilight had first come to Ponyville, and how she and their other friends all first met her while she was going on rounds to make sure the Summer Sun Celebration that year would go off without a hitch. She explained about their little adventure in the Everfree Forest, and how Twilight accepted their help and friendship to stop Nightmare Moon. Applejack had told this story a thousand times, it felt like, and it still made her smile every time she told it.

"And that was it?" Hourglass asked, blinking. "I mean, I understand the idea of making friends with somepony after a harrowing experience together, but… you all had just met. Right? This all happened within the same twenty-four hours?"

"Yup, sure did; we were thick as thieves right quick, I tell ya what. An' I get what you're sayin', trust me," Applejack chuckled. "There was just somethin' 'bout Twi that made it hard not ta wanna be her friend even though she said she didn't have no friends. I guess that's why she done became the Princess o' Friendship in the end. Make sense, don't it?"

"Hmm, I suppose that would follow, yeah. Still, it's weird. You don't mind that I think it's weird, do you?"

"Not at all, y'all ain't the only pony I've ever met that thinks it's weird. I mean, I took longer than that ta make friends wit' Flathoof, an' you'd think that would be quick 'n' easy 'cause he reminds me o' my brother Big Mac." Applejack shrugged. "I mean, sure, it only took a couple o' days, but that's just it, ain't it?"

Hourglass glanced at her pocket watch and adjusted the knobs slightly, then turned back to Applejack. "I guess it makes sense though, now that you mention it. Winter made friends with Twilight too, after all, and even though it took some time that's just because Winter was probably trying not to."

Applejack scratched her head. "Why would she be tryin' not ta make a friend?"

"Because that's part of the Chronomancer code… sort of. I mean, it's not written down anywhere and it's not as if you can get in trouble for it, but still, our organization discourages attachments of any kind with ponies from our assigned worlds. Conflict of interest or something like that. We can make friends and stuff with one another, though."

"An' that's why y'all're friends wit' Winter?"

"I am, yeah. We're best mates," Hourglass said with a smile. She gestured towards what looked like it had been an old bench in the foyer. "Come on, let's sit down for a bit. This next set of readings is gonna take a while."

Applejack followed the younger mare over to the bench, then removed her hat and set it down beside her as she sat down. "Consderin' how I've seen her treatin' somepony who's s'posed ta be her friend, ya mind if I ask if she's like that wit' you?"

"You mean… does she talk to me the way she talked to Twilight the other day?"

"Yeah."

Hourglass shook her head. "No, she doesn't do that. I mean, I know that she can get a bit… snippy—"

Applejack let out an incredulous snort. "'Snippy'? Ya call that 'snippy'?"

"Okay, fair enough, that was a little much even for her. She does get snippy a bit at times, but it's just been getting worse over the past few years. She'll be fine and normal and friendly enough most of the time, but sometimes something sets her off and she gets a bit cold. I know she doesn't mean anything by it though. She has a good heart, Applejack."

Applejack crossed her hooves over her chest. "Ya sound pretty sure o' that. I thought I knew 'er, too, but I've been second-guessin' myself ever since we came back on account o' how she talked ta Twilight. That ain't how ya treat yer friends."

"That's just how she is sometimes… with others, I mean, not with me. She's not a bad pony, honest. I've known her long enough to know that she's just… she's upset right now, and she's stressed out like you wouldn't believe or understand."

Applejack shook her head; she didn't buy it, but she'd drop it for now. "Ya said before that ya knew her before we did. I still don't get that, if I'm bein' honest here. Ya sure ya can't tell me what that's all about? It sure would help me understand how in the hay you can talk 'bout 'er like you're some sort of authority on it."

Hourglass scratched her chin. "Well… I'm not really supposed to, but… you did tell me all about how you met Twilight, so I guess it's only fair. And I guess you do know enough about our line of work that I can spill a little bit of information without hurting anypony…"

"I'm not forcin' ya ta break any rules here, sugarcube. If ya can't tell me, ya can't tell me."

"No, it's okay. I think Winter wouldn't mind if I talked about it a little bit. I'm pretty sure she's told somepony about me before, probably Twilight, actually. So, I think it's fair to tell you."

"Go on then, I'm listenin'."

"Okay, so… Chronomaners have their own HQ located in the Void. It's not really it's own 'world', not exactly, but it's similar to one. That's where Chronomancers train themselves for field work, and where the agents that aren't on field duty live and serve our organization, as well as all of the staff members that work for us.

"There's a section of HQ that doesn't progress through time normally, like what we're experiencing right now where a minute's a minute and a second's a second. That's where young ponies live, the Chronomancers-in-training, and that's where they learn about their new lives until an official agent picks them up to serve as an apprentice."

Applejack scratched her head. "A bunch o' young colts 'n' fillies just waitin' ta get picked up ta start trainin' fer work? That don't sound pleasant. Ya mean ta tell me that's how yer lil' group is run? Takin' lil' ponies 'n' trainin' 'em from a young age like that? Where do these young'uns come from?"

"From… from worlds that have been destroyed by the Void," Hourglass said, her expression faltering.

Applejack blinked; she was pretty sure she understood, but she had to be sure. "Does that mean that… y'all came from some place that ain't there no more?"

"Yes. Myself, Winter, and all of the other Chronomancer agents that currently serve the organization originally came from a world that was destroyed by the Void, a world that didn't have a Chronomancer or whose Chronomancer failed in their duty. The Chronomancers can't save everypony, so they usually pick out younger ponies that have potential talent for this line of work, or sometimes older ponies that might be of use elsewhere in the organization."

"That's… that's awful. Ya mean they just pick 'n' choose who lives an' who dies?"

Hourglass nodded slowly. "If you want to think of it in those terms, then yes, that's exactly what happens."

Applejack fanned herself with her hat briefly. "Shoot, that ain't right, no sir, that ain't right at all."

"It's necessary. There aren't enough Chronomancers out there for all the worlds there are, and, um… w-well, there are measures in place that prevent us from having foals of our own until retirement, be we stallion or mare. It's so that we can stay focused on the job, you understand."

"No, sugarcube, I don't understand. But I ain't here ta judge the folks in charge of yer lil' group, I'm here ta hear 'bout how you 'n' Winter met 'n' got along."

Hourglass smiled briefly. "Ah, well, we met while we were still waiting for somepony to pick us up for training. It wasn't a long friendship from our perspective, only about three days or so, but that means we were technically friends for three years. It's an odd concept when you think about it, and requires a bit of mental gymnastics, but that's how it works. Like, uh… dog years."

"I think I'm gonna hurt my head tryin' ta wrap it 'round all o' that." Applejack shook her head to clear out the confusing thoughts. "Let's just say y'all were friends wit' her for three years. Makes sense ta me that way, an' ya acted like ya knew her for a while 'fore she met us, and three days ain't no 'while'."

"That's fair. Well, after you and your friends left this world last time, HQ determined that Winter was ready to take on an apprentice of her own, a lot earlier than most Chronomancers do. She handled your situation so well that they figured she should pass on her skills as soon as possible; I think that they want her to return to HQ after I take over so that she can serve as a regular instructor.

"Well, when she was picking out somepony to come with her, she noticed that I was still there, so she picked me. She was older than me by that point, of course; like I said, time works differently at HQ. When I first met Winter, she was five, maybe six? When I met her again, she was in her twenties."

Applejack let out a breath. "That's all mighty confusin' if ya ask me."

Hourglass chuckled and patted Applejack's side. "Oh no, I get it. And trust me, that's not even the most complicated thing about how HQ works. I bet even a smart pony like Twilight would take some time figuring out all the things that make the place function the way it does."

"And ya say that she used ta be a sweet lil' thing or somethin' fore she met us and we left?"

"Well, yeah, she was just a little filly when I knew her before that. I know that her training probably hardened her a bit, but it shouldn't be making her bitter and angry about everything. At least not like she is now, especially towards Twilight."

"No, it shouldn't." Applejack sighed and shook her head. "Ya sure there ain't more ta this story?"

"Nothing that I can tell you, no. Winter's the only one who could tell you more, and I doubt she would." Hourglass shrugged and leaned back against the bench. "Sorry. I wish I could help you understand it better."

"That's alright, sugarcube, 'tain't your fault. I'm still tryin' ta get my head 'round the rest o' yer story, though. Them Chronomancers saved ya from yer world gettin' destroyed, an' they do that wit' all them colts 'n' fillies, even Winter?"

Hourglass nodded. "That's right…"

"An' y'all know 'bout this? Like, Winter knows that 'bout herself?"

"Oh, yeah, everypony knows about it. Most of them are lucky, though, and were young enough when it happened that they don't remember much about where they were originally from. Winter doesn't remember anything about her world at all, apart from some vague, hazy things. And I don't think she bothers trying to remember, either. Most don't."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Ya said you were older than Winter when ya first met 'er. Does that mean that you remember?"

Hourglass took a breath and looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah… I do. I was a little older than nine when it happened." She then shook her head. "But I'm not supposed to dwell on it like that. It's just a distraction. It happened a long time ago, and nothing can change it. The Void doesn't just destroy things, it erases them from all of time and space. Forever. It's like my world never existed; I'm all that's left."

"I'm sorry ta hear that," Applejack said softly. "Not just that it happened, but that you've been told not ta think about it. That ain't right neither. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it sounds like them Chronomancers are a cold-hearted bunch. I get that the work's important 'n' all that, but it ain't right doin' what they're doin' the way they're doin' it."

"It is what it is. Stiff upper lip and all that, that's our motto."

"Ya don't have ta pretend wit' me, sugarcube. Ta hide it, I mean." Applejack set her hoof on Hourglass's shoulder tenderly. "It sounds ta me like y'all ain't never talked about it wit' nopony before."

"Like I said, we're not supposed to. Winter doesn't, so I shouldn't either." Hourglass shook her head. "It's just a distraction—"

"It's a distraction only if ya let it be, an' keepin' it buried like that sure as hay ain't healthy. If ya don't wanna talk about it, that's alright, I ain't gonna force ya. But if ya do, I'm willin' ta lend an ear."

Hourglass looked at Applejack for a moment, then shook her head and sighed. "I wouldn't even know where to start…"

"Well, start by tellin' me what yer world looked like. I know my world and this one here look awful different, so I figure yours ain't exactly the same."

Hourglass paused for a moment, then closed her eyes and let out a breath. "I remember steam. Steam and gears. Our technology wasn't quite the same as it is in this world, but it was more advanced than yours is, I think. Clockwork and steam-powered technology everywhere, incorporated into every part of our lives.

"I remember… a train. There was a train station not far from where I lived. I remember the whistle that blew every time it came into the station to load cargo and unload passengers, the yelling of the conductors. I lived near a copper mine, so lots of folks came there to find work. The foreman was… an earth pony stallion, I think." She smiled and shook her head. "I remember him mostly because he had the new propulsion backpack model and a lot of folks were jealous.

"I remember some of my friends from school. Names and faces are a little fuzzy, but I know that I had a few. I remember one of my teachers, a pegasus mare. She taught engineering; we learn the basics from a young age. It encourages progress." She smiled, tapping her hooves together. "She taught me how to make my first wind-up clock. I… lost it when everything was destroyed. It was silver. Had a little engraving of a heart on it.

"And… I remember my parents. I never knew their real names, I only ever knew them as Mom and Dad. Both unicorns like me…" She sniffed. "My mom was really pretty. She had a pink mane. Always wore it long, but kept it tucked under her work cap most of the time. Dad had a big mustache. It always used to…" She sniffed again. "It used to tickle me when he'd kiss me goodnight.

"Most of all I remember the day it all went wrong. You'd think a world being destroyed would be this major disaster, that we'd have had some advance warning. There isn't any. If the Void is allowed to devour a world, it happens quickly. There's no earthquakes, no tornadoes or hurricanes. The sky just went… dark, darker than any night I'd ever seen before, with stars I didn't recognize.

"I was at school when it happened. At recess, actually. The sky went dark, and most of the other kids were scared and went running to find the teachers. Not me. The sky looked so… beautiful." She started shaking, her hooves fumbling together in her lap. "Then I watched as everything around me started to just… fall apart. Like watching salt dissolve in water. Everything turned to ash before my eyes.

"I ran. I had to get home, to get to safety. Then, a portal opened on the side of the street. There was a stallion standing there, a pegasus, dressed in a black jacket and sunglasses despite how dark it was, holding a little pocket watch. He saw me. He told me to come with him if I wanted to live. As the world was dying around me, I realized that I had a choice: keep running on that street and try to make it home, maybe die in the process… or go with the stranger and live. I… chose to live."

Hourglass sniffed and wiped her nose. "After that, he brought me to Chronomancer HQ, told me what happened, and told me what was to become of me. If I chose to stay there, to stay at HQ, I'd eventually be a Chronomancer like he was, and someday I'd have the power to stop what had happened to my world from happening to others. If I didn't, he'd find a safe world to take me to, to make a new life for myself.

"But… I couldn't do that. I couldn't stomach the thought of going someplace new and trying to forget what had happened. That's why they try not to take older kids and only take adults in specific circumstances: we remember too much. It… affects us; it affects me."

She shook her head, still fighting back tears. "I understood as a filly what most Chronomancers don't realize until they're older: this job takes a toll on you. It does make you cold and distant, because if you become attached… you might have to watch it all melt away someday."

After a long pause, Applejack leaned in and gave the young mare something that she knew she desperately needed: a hug. "It's alright, sugarcube, let it all out…"

Hourglass did just that, clinging to Applejack and letting her tears flow. "I don't want to remember it, Applejack…"

"It's alright. I understand. Believe me, I understand," Applejack said, rubbing Hourglass's back. "I know what it's like ta lose somethin' that means the world to ya, an' not ta have nopony to talk to about it 'cause ya know nopony understands. Oh, they can sympathize an' empathize an' all them fancy words that try to mean they understand, but they don't. An' ya love 'em fer tryin', but it ain't the same. But I understand."

"How? How could you know—"

"It ain't quite the same, I know, but… I know what loss feels like. I do. I was in yer horseshoes once, a long time ago. I 'member it was a bright sunny day, just like any other day out on the farm. I was doin' my chores like a good lil' filly should. I had ta get everythin' done 'fore Ma 'n' Pa got home from their big trip to the city, or Pa would be sore at me fer slackin'.

"I saw somepony comin' up the road to the farm. I thought it was them at first so I ran up ta greet 'em, but nope, it was just a mailpony. He saw me an' he took off his hat, an' he asked me if there were any adults at home. I said there was, an' I went and fetched Granny for 'im. Big Mac, my brother, he came over too, wanted ta find out what all the fuss was about.

"The mailpony looked real sad as he looked at us, an' then he told us the news." Applejack took a deep breath. "Ma 'n' Pa weren't comin' home. I didn't get it at first, I figured he meant they were just runnin' late or somethin', but I could tell that somethin' was wrong when I saw how sad Granny looked as he left. She hugged me 'n' Mac, an' she tol' us… she tol' us what the mailpony meant."

"I felt… well, I felt like my whole world had been torn apart. Everythin' I thought I knew was just… gone. It took me some time ta really come to terms wit' what happened, but I did. Me 'n' Mac both did, an' so did Granny. We knew we had ta step up. The farm needed us ta step up an' take over ta keep 'er afloat; our lil' sister Apple Bloom needed us ta step up an' fill that parent role. An' by golly, we did. We stepped up.

"But there're times when I 'member what things were like before the accident. What they were like when Ma 'n' Pa were around. I can talk ta Granny 'bout it, an' I can talk ta Big Mac 'bout it, sure… but it's not the same as bein' able ta talk ta somepony else about what happened. Somepony who gets it. I know what it's like ta have ta bury them feelings deep down so that ya can move on and not bother nopony.

"I know what happened ta me can't compare ta what happened ta you. I didn't lose so much. But I just want ya ta know that I understand, as much as I possibly can. I understand what ya had ta go through ta get to where ya are now, ta be the mare ya are now." Applejack patted Hourglass's back once, twice, three times. "I'm here for ya if ya ever need ta talk about it."

Hourglass sniffed and pulled away from the hug, then gave a few nods. "Thanks, Applejack. I'm… I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you—"

"Don't worry 'bout it, sugarcube. We're gonna start up a pity party if'n we start feelin' sorry fer one another," Applejack said with a small smile. "I just wanted ya ta know I'm happy ta lend an ear if ya ever need one. Ta tell ya ta treasure the memories ya have, not let 'em get ya down. That's the best way ta honor what ya lost, ta move forward 'n' do whatever it is ya need ta do."

"Thank you. That… well, you probably know exactly how much that means to me." Hourglass's Timekeeper let out a little beep. She wiped her eyes and looked at the display on it, then gave a firm nod. "The readings here are done. I have to take some more from further inside," she said as she got up off the bench.

Applejack followed suit, replacing her hat on her head. "Right behind ya, lead the way."

*****

Twilight had never seen a sandstorm before. A blizzard, sure; a thunderstorm, absolutely. But a sandstorm? That was new. The winds were practically hurricane-strength, which even with tiny dust and sand particles like this was practically lethal; a grain of sand at that speed could crack glass, and there were millions of those grains swirling about outside. Worse, there was lightning. Yes, lightning in a sandstorm. That shouldn't have been possible, but there it was, clear as day.

She waited behind Winter as they watched the storm raging outside the cave entrance they were currently sheltered in. Winter had her hoof held up to make sure Twilight knew not to go forward yet, but Twilight knew better than to try anything like that anyway, not without her magic. She hadn't been sure earlier if Winter could handle this, but she—

"Now!" Winter shouted, thrusting her hoof down and rushing forward.

Twilight followed behind without a second thought, easily able to keep up with Winter's pace because of her own gait alone. They ventured outside the cave and into the storm itself, with Winter immediately raising a protective barrier the instant they were in danger. Sand particles barraged the shield rapidly and without stopping, but it was the lightning that concerned Twilight the most.

Luckily, Winter seemed to know what she was doing, because her timing had been such that no lightning bolts struck her shield, just hurricane-strength winds and sand. And so Twilight followed her until they reached another cavern further down the trail that stretched along the side of the mountains, both of them rushing inside as soon as they reached it. Once safely inside, Winter dropped her barrier and backed herself against the cavern wall to take a breather; she looked dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked, a little out of breath herself; normally running that far that fast would've been nothing, but she wasn't in peak condition yet.

"I'm fine, same as last time ya asked, same as the time before that," Winter grunted, running a hoof over her face. "Ya don't need ta ask every single time."

"I just want to make sure—"

"I know, but ya don't need to. I'm fine." Winter groaned as she rose back upright, firmly planting her hooves into the stone floor before walking back over to her vantage point near the cave entrance. "We're almost there, anyway. Next stop is the Checkpoint, then we can both take a proper breather, eh?"

"We can take a moment before we go if you need one," Twilight suggested.

"We need to keep movin'. We're lucky the storm's been movin' the way it has today; we wouldn't want to deal with the worst of it."

Twilight blinked. "This isn't the worst of it?"

"Oh, hell no. The mountains usually keep the worst parts of the storm away from us and the Checkpoint, but further west where there's no mountains?" Winter smirked and shook her head. "Ever seen a tornado before, Twilight?"

"I have."

"Imagine a tornado filled with lightning and sand. Hourglass and I have seen a few of 'em these last few years, foal's play compared to what this storm is probably creatin'. They'd be huge. My shield sure as hell won't keep us safe from one of those. Doubt even you could do it."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing we're not coming from that direction," Twilight muttered. "And you're sure nopony's out there in this?"

"Shouldn't be, and if there are folks out there, there's nothin' we can do for 'em." Winter raised her hoof and gestured for Twilight to take her spot behind her. "Come on, the lightning's clearin' up. Watch your step this time, eh? We're headin' down a slope; don't want you to trip."

"Okay."

Winter waited, and waited, and waited, then as before, signaled with her hoof. "Go!"

And Twilight followed behind her again under the protection of the shield, careful to watch where she was running so that she didn't trip over the uneven ground. It was difficult to see much further ahead than the edge of Winter's barrier, so she had to do her best not to go too fast and misstep, but she had to still go slow enough not to outpace Winter.

She couldn't imagine trying to do this a few weeks ago before her growth spurt; she owed the success of her pacing entirely to her larger size.

But, as promised, eventually she could see the outlines of a building through the sand, though it was impossible to make out any details, even the colors; the sandstorm gave everything a brownish-red tint anyway, and the building was likely caked in sand already.

She followed Winter around the structure until they arrived at the front door, whereupon they ducked into the small alcove that was there and Winter started knocking loudly and with a particular rhythm.

Though it took a tense few moments—Winter's barrier was barely holding against the barrage of sand and wind—they were given a reprieve when a little slot opened on the door, just below Twilight's eye level. She could see another pony's eyes on the other side, and said eyes glanced up slightly at her own.

"What in the—" a stallion's voice on the other side started.

"Pewter! Let us in!" Winter called out.

A second later, the door swung open and Twilight felt another barrier spell fill the space around her, allowing for Winter to relax hers and to run inside, Twilight right behind her; Winter, though, just collapsed to the floor and immediately rolled onto her back, breathing heavily. Pewter closed the door behind them and locked it up again before turning to the two mares, looking awfully confused.

"Winter?" the stallion, Pewter, said, eyes wide.

Pewter was a tall stallion, a unicorn obviously since he'd used magic of his own, with a coat the color of light dirt and a mane the color of stone. He was dressed quite casually in just a robe; he clearly hadn't been expecting guests and had thrown it on in a hurry. He had a muscular build to him; Twilight was reminded of Shining Armor, who always kept himself in good shape.

"Winter, what in the world are you doing here?" Pewter asked, stepping over to check on her; she was breathing hard from the sheer effort of maintaining that barrier spell for as long as she had. "Where's Hourglass? Where's the other kid, Sunspire?"

Winter allowed him to help her up by hoof, shaking her head as she did so. "Long story. Hourglass is at the gryphon ruins takin' some readings, Sunspire's down in Hope's Point. It's complicated."

"Hope's Point? How did he get there all on his own?"

"He didn't, we were teleported, and it's a long, complicated story. Not important right now. He's fine, Hourglass is fine, we're all fine. Except Twilight here, she's not," Winter said, gesturing at Twilight.

"If you say so." Pewter then turned to Twilight and took a second to realize that she was a hair taller than he was. "Then you must be Twilight. Hello there, I'm Pewter," he said, offering his hoof. "Pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," Twilight said, taking his hoof and giving it a little shake. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Good things I hope. You said something's wrong with her?" Pewter asked Winter.

"Ley line fracture," Winter replied. "I brought her here to get food and rest since Hourglass and I don't have enough supplies."

Pewter raised an eyebrow and eyed Twilight up and down. "A ley line fracture? That can't be right. She should barely be able to walk around, let alone get through that sandstorm with you if she was in that condition. Are you sure?"

"Yeah, pretty sure. Diagnosed it myself."

"Well, you're one tough mare if you're able to move around like this in that condition," Pewter said to Twilight with a small grin. "Not many unicorns can handle that kind of stress as it is, but you seem to be doing alright."

Oh, that was worth noting, wasn't it? Twilight's wings were carefully hidden underneath her sweater so that they wouldn't be visible to Pewter, because as Winter said, alicorns like her just didn't exist in this world, or at least weren't supposed to. They were supposed to reside in a metaphysical realm called the "Dreaming", so having one of them walking around in plain sight would just draw all sorts of questions that Winter wasn't allowed to answer.

Besides, it wasn't a big deal to hide her wings, so she didn't complain.

"You two have some good timing, actually, but then that's normal for you, isn't it?" Pewter quipped as he shifted his grin to Winter. "I was in the middle of cooking lunch. I think I've got enough to split three ways. Hope you two don't mind lots of potatoes, 'cause I'm making a big batch of potatoes au gratin."

"Still tryin' to get through your excess supply, eh?" Winter asked.

"Yup. Potatoes keep better in these kinds of conditions so I ordered extra before the storm hit, just in case. Figured I'd use them up a bit before I start focusing on the other things. I'm looking forward to getting to the cauliflower."

"Potatoes sound lovely, Mister Pewter," Twilight said with a smile. "Winter says you're an excellent cook."

"She does, does she? I mean, that's definitely true, but don't believe everything she says about me," Pewter chuckled. He nodded briefly at Winter. "Why don't you get her set up in one of the first floor rooms? I'll whip up a bowl and bring it to her shortly. If she's really got a ley line fracture, she needs some rest, no matter how healthy she seems to be at the moment."

"Thanks, Pewter." Winter gestured for Twilight to follow her. "C'mon, let's get you situated."

Twilight tilted her head. "Okay, if you insist. I think I'm well enough to join you at the table, but—"

"I don't care what you think, you're gettin' some bed rest and takin' it easy until your magic starts workin' again," Winter said firmly. "So don't complain, just follow me."

Twilight bit her tongue and nodded, then followed after Winter as they headed from the entrance foyer down a hallway to the very first door that was available. Winter opened it and showed Twilight inside, and Twilight was rather impressed at the sight.

The room was small and cozy, but had everything a pony could need to be comfortable: a good-sized bed, a dresser with a mirror, a chair, a wardrobe, and a footlocker. There was plenty of room to move and plenty of space and places to store belongings.

It was sort of like a cheap hotel, but it had this wholesome, down-home atmosphere that put her mind at ease. A better comparison was to a guest room at somepony's house; in fact, Twilight was reminded of a bed-and-breakfast she'd stayed at a couple of years ago while on a mission to solve a Friendship Problem. Applejack had been with her at the time and found the place to be, quote, "doggone delightful".

"Go on, get comfortable," Winter said tersely. "I'll go check on your food."

"Oh, okay—" Twilight started, but Winter was already gone.

With a sigh, she looked about the room just to get a feel for things, and even checked out the drawers of the dresser and inside the wardrobe. To her surprise, there was a bathrobe hanging on the inside of the wardrobe, a few of them in fact, all of different sizes likely to fit different sizes of ponies.

One of them was definitely sized for a larger stallion like Pewter himself, which meant that it would fit just fine on Twilight, so she stripped off her sweater and pleated skirt, folded them with care, and set them on the edge of the bed before donning the robe.

Once that was done, she took a seat on the bed itself, sighed, then leaned back and got comfortable. The bed was just the perfect size for her, but then it was probably meant to fit a large stallion anyway. It still felt so odd to her to be this size, especially now that she was in unfamiliar territory. She hadn't left the palace in Canterlot since her growth spurt and had been just getting used to her new form before all this happened, and now she was in an unfamiliar place trying to get acquainted with the new size all over again.

It wasn't more than a few moments before there was a knock at the door. "Come on in," Twilight called, knowing the knock was just to make sure that she was "decent", as Rarity would probably put it.

This world's nudity taboo had taken getting used to years ago, but she didn't question it now and in fact was already expecting it and was ready to accommodate their customs. It had been fortuitous that she and her friends had happened to be wearing clothes this time; she couldn't imagine what the situation would be like otherwise. It would most certainly be awkward for, say, Fluttershy to have arrived "naked" wherever it was she'd ended up.

Twilight hoped she and the others were okay.

Pewter opened the door and entered with a tray that could be set on the bed for Twilight to eat from, with a bowl on top filled to the brim with creamy potatoes au gratin, which were in turn topped with little hints of herbs and seasonings and a sprig of parsley. There was also a glass of ice water, tall enough to easily quench any thirst.

"Bon appetit," Pewter said as he set the tray down and fastened it so that it wouldn't jostle and spill. "Let me know what you think." He also picks up Twilight's clothes. "And I'll take these and give 'em a good wash so that they're ready for when you leave. Feel free to keep the bathrobe too, if you'd like."

Twilight licked her lips as the scent of the meal wafted up to her nose; if it tasted as good as it smelled, it would be easily better than what she was used to back home, and that was with a royal chef and everything.

Without her magic she knew she needed to use her hooves to handle the utensils, and she was glad that she'd had some practice with it just as a matter of diplomatic practice; not all cultures in her world had magic available to them, and it would be considered an insult to use magic to eat when she had perfectly good hooves. Yaks in particular could get a little… rambunctious about that sort of thing.

A single mouthful was all Twilight needed to shudder in delight. "Mmmm… that's delicious," she said as soon as she'd finished one mouthful; it didn't taste as good as it smelled, notably. It tasted better. "These are the best potatoes au gratin I've ever had."

Pewter smirked. "Aw, you're just trying to butter me up for something. It won't work on me, Miss Twilight."

"No, I'm serious, this is amazing. I didn't think you had these kinds of ingredients out here in the Wastelands. Do you grow them yourself?"

"No, I get them shipped in from Hope's Point, who in turn get them shipped from the southern continent," Pewter explained. "But I have a storage pantry in the basement equipped with both electrical and magical means of preservation so that I only have to worry about supplies running out, not going rotten."

Twilight nodded in understanding; the royal kitchens back home used an enchanted pantry for the same purpose. "Well, my compliments to the chef. Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"Self-taught, mostly. Years and years of having to cook for myself and for others made sure that I had plenty of practice to find just the right blend of ingredients to make the perfect meal every single time. Not to brag or anything, just repeating some of the opinions I've heard whispered about."

"Well, count me amongst your fans."

Pewter then clapped his hooves together. "While you're finishing that up, I can get you something to help pass the time. We don't get television signals out here, and the sandstorm's disrupting radio signals, but I do have reading material if that's your speed. Otherwise it's just board games and coloring books. Oh, and already-solved crossword puzzles."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Oh, I'd love some reading material, yes."

"Does anything in particular tickle your fancy?"

"I will literally take anything that you have. In fact, bring a lot." Twilight paused. "Um, please. And thank you."

"Heh, you got it," Pewter said.

As he left the room, Winter walked in behind him and eyed Twilight's little setup. "Well, looks like we've got things all settled in here for ya. Comfortable?"

"It's better than a cave floor, that's for certain," Twilight said with a small smile.

"Yeah, that it is. With how little time it took ya to get to walkin' about, I'm not expectin' ya to take too long to get back in full form. So don't get too comfortable here, eh? As soon as your magic is workin' again, we're headin' back into the mountain and makin' our way to the ruins."

"That sounds like a plan to me."

Pewter returned just then, a pleasant grin on his face. "Well, you said you wanted a lot, so I figured that I might as well go ham with it," he said. "I hope these will suffice."

He set down a small row of books on the nearby dresser, in reach for Twilight to grab any one of them without having to stretch or use her non-functional magic. Twilight's eyes widened as he did so, because they were books. Books. Real books with pages and ink and hardcover spines and everything, just like the ones they had back at home.

"Those are… those are real books!" Twilight muttered in awe.

"Indeed they are," Pewter replied, his grin widening. "My father hated reading off of those datapads like they have up north, and in Hope's Point for that matter. He'd heard that the southern ponies read books made of paper, so he ordered some of those a long, long time ago. Loved 'em. More 'real' than electronics, he said, real like everything else out here."

"I think ya made her day, Pewter," Winter quipped, nudging his side.

"You like to read, Miss Twilight?"

"It's my passion," Twilight replied, breathlessly running her hoof along the spines of the collection. "I'm a, uh… a librarian by trade. I love to read, no matter the topic. I love books. I love to organize them, read them, maintain them, restore them, everything. They're my favorite thing in the whole world."

"See?" Winter said.

"Well, I'm glad that I could put a little bright spot into your day, then. I'll leave you to your meal and to your books. If you need anything, my room's at the end of the hall, or you can find me in the common area or the kitchen. Without any other guests at the moment I don't have much else to do."

Twilight smiled. "Thank you, Mister Pewter. I appreciate it."

With that, he gave a little nod and took his leave, giving Winter a look as he went.

Once he was gone, Winter shook her head and let out a little chuckle. "Don't forget to finish eatin' before ya get to devourin' those books, eh? And try not to drool all over the pages, either."

"I won't," Twilight said with a grin. "This is amazing, though. Real books! I thought for sure that I'd have to deal with those little electronic devices again, so this is pretty amazing for me. You have no idea."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea. You made sure to remind me pretty often way back when about how much ya missed real books." Winter stuck her nose in the air and put on her best Twilight impression: "The smell of the ink, the sound of the turning pages, the feeling of a hardcover spine in your hooves." She shook her head, smirking. "You're such a nerd."

"There's nothing wrong with having an appreciation for the genuine article, Winter," Twilight said, also sticking her nose in the air.

"Careful, ya sound like Dawn usin' those ten-bit words."

Twilight giggled. "I suppose so. How is she, by the way? You said she was in a leadership position in New Pandemonium now, but what was she called again? The 'Shadow Associate'? Besides that you didn't really mention anything."

Winter's smile faltered a little, and she gave a little shrug. "Eh. She's fine, I guess. Wears glasses now."

"Oh? When did that happen?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask. We don't really keep in touch all that much these days."

Twilight tilted her head. "You don't? Why not? Did something happen?"

"No, we just really keep in touch."

"But… why not? I mean, I understand if you two are busy and it's hard to get together often. That's how it is with me and the others these days, actually. But we do still try and keep in contact once a month for our Friendship Council meetings, at the very least. If I could've kept in contact with you two, I would have. I try to do that with all my friends, even if it's just a letter."

"Yeah, with your 'friends'." Winter shook her head. "Dawn and I are really just acquaintances, nothin' more."

Twilight couldn't believe her ears. "Huh? But… but I thought the three of us were all friends?"

"Well, ya thought wrong, Twilight. Dawn and I aren't friends, we don't have time for that bullshit. Hourglass is the only friend I've got, and that's fine by me." Winter grunted and made for the door. "Finish your food, and get some rest. The longer it takes for ya to get better, the longer it takes to get back to Hourglass and Applejack."

"Winter, wait—"

But Winter was already gone, closing the door behind her and leaving Twilight confused and sad.

"But… what about me?" she muttered, too quiet and too late for anypony but her to hear it.

*****

Pewter saw Winter coming right at him almost as soon as he'd left; she sure hadn't stayed long to converse with Twilight, apparently. Maybe the other mare wanted to eat in peace?

"Hey there," he said with a little grin. "Good, I wanted to—"

Winter held up a hoof so that he'd stop talking; he did. "Whatever it is, Pewter, it can wait for tomorrow. Right now, I need you to get me a bottle of the strongest, hardest liquor you've got."

Pewter scratched his cheek and started off for the kitchen. "Sure, let me see—"

"Hang on," Winter interrupted, grabbing his hoof so that he wouldn't leave just yet. "I want to make sure ya understood what I said. I want a bottle—the whole fuckin' thing, not some half-finished shit—of the strongest, hardest liquor you've got. Do you understand me?"

Pewter paused a moment, then nodded tersely; she was in one of those moods again, and he knew better not to question her. "Yeah. Alright. I've got just the thing: Gargantuan Venom, a Hope's Point speciality. Tastes like garbage water; fair warning."

"Good, sounds right up my alley. Take it to my room when ya get it. I'll be on the third floor," she said as she headed off towards the stairs.

"The third floor? You don't want to be near—"

She likely didn't hear anything else he said, because she'd already ascended the stairs by the time he'd gotten halfway through his sentence. He had no idea what was going on, but he didn't like it, not one bit. But it wasn't his place to question Winter's behavior, so with a shrug and a sigh to himself and only himself, he left to get her requested liquor. She sounded like she needed it.

*****

It was late at night out in the middle of the western Wastelands, not that anypony could really tell. Besides the sickening orange glow of the northern Beacon shrouding the entire sky and blocking out the sun, moons, and stars at all hours of the day or night, the raging sandstorm would have made it virtually impossible to see those sorts of things even if they were visible.

Blue Belle, a cobalt-coated pegasus mare with a long pink mane kept in a tight bun, trudged her way through the storm at a pace that could best be described as sluggish. There was really nothing that could be done about it, but that didn't make it any less aggravating to move so slowly.

At her sides were four other ponies, all a part of her individual squad on this mission—as the leader of the mission, her squad was aptly named Alpha—and all just as dedicated to the cause as she was. Otherwise they wouldn't be here, risking life and limb to push through the lethally dangerous sandstorm to accomplish a goal that they didn't understand apart from how important it was to the Leaders.

Her squad was composed of herself, two earth pony stallions named Blitz Fire and Rust Razor, and two unicorns named Meteor Shower and Viridian Star. Each was a loyal servant of the Dark Lady; each knew their duty and would do it without fear.

The earth ponies were armed and armored with some of the best equipment money could buy, or in this case, that could be stolen from military supplies. Their armor was resilient against most small arms fire and even protected against weaker bursts of magical energy, and their weapons were potent, accurate, and most importantly, deadly.

The unicorns were not nearly as well-equipped, but they were more important regardless of that. Meteor's horn was glowing a brilliant gold as he maintained the barrier that allowed Alpha Squad to make their way safely through the sandstorm, but even he paled in comparison to the importance of Viridian, whose horn was covered in a disgusting, black, crystalline substance, a gift from Leader Grime to aid them in their task. It was worthless at present, but its usefulness would soon be seen, or so Belle had been told

Belle herself was armed as well, mostly with close-combat weapons, but her armor was more important, crafted from an obsidian-like material that would protect her from even the most powerful magic known to ponykind and render the opposition helpless in the process. As the leader of the mission, her ability to command and control her troops was crucial, and so her protection was considered paramount compared to all but perhaps Viridian. She would protect him in the case of an emergency.

Trailing behind her, under their own protective shields raised by their own unicorn squadmates, were Beta and Delta Squad. They'd lost Charlie Squad yesterday afternoon when their unicorn could no longer maintain her barrier; the entire squad was ripped to pieces by grains of sand carried by hurricane-grade winds. The other squads didn't bother looking back; there was no time to waste on the weak.

"Sister Belle, we should be approaching Goldridge within the next mile," said Rust, who was at the front of the group. "There is an entrance on the northwestern side that can take us further into the caverns."

"Excellent, then we are moving faster than we originally expected," Belle replied with a wicked grin. "The Leaders would be pleased if they could hear the news. This is surely a sign from our Mistress; our mission will succeed with Her blessings."

"How can you tell that we're close?" asked Blitz.

"I recognize the terrain," Rust replied, gesturing at a rock formation that was a few dozen feet away, barely visible. "The storm hasn't been kind to the markers, but anypony who makes regular trips out here could point out that formation. It's called Skittering Rock; it used to be that there was a Gargantuan nest out here years ago, right under that rock."

"Brother Meteor, you can make it the remaining mile without stopping, yes?" Belle asked. "I wish to reach our destination as quickly as possible.'

Meteor nodded confidently, though he was straining his magic at the moment. "Of course I can, Sister Belle. Leader Grit would not assign me to your squad if I was not the best at what I do."

"Excellent." Belle pressed her hoof to her ear, to the short-band communication device she wore. "Beta Squad, Delta Squad, we are nearing our destination. Continue forward at your current pace; the destination is in roughly one mile. Over."

"Roger that. Over," came the voice of Beta Squad's leader, Rocket Glare.

"Affirmative. O—" came Delta's leader, Loose Cannon. There was a brief pause at the end of his transmission, followed by: "Sister Belle, I'm seeing something approaching from the north. Over."

Belle clenched her teeth. This was no time for jittery delays brought on by paranoia; there was nothing out here but them and sandstorm. "What is it? Over."

"I can't tell, but it's big. Over."

"I see it now too. It's moving towards us pretty fast. Over," said Rocket, sounding just a tad nervous.

Belle glanced off to the north, just past the two glowing bubbles that represented the other two squads, to see what they were talking about. At first there was nothing, and she was ready to chastise the pair of them for wasting time and getting jumpy over nothing. But a bolt of lightning illuminated something off in the distance, and that's when she realized the danger they were all in.

The tornado was unlike any of the pathetic dust devils and whirlwinds that dotted the Wasteland landscape these days. Even the largest of those were at best a dozen feet across, and they typically didn't last very long and were little more than a nuisance to a pegasus like herself. But she could feel this tornado's power from here as it drew ever closer, and it was… gigantic. A hundred feet across, maybe more. How had she not noticed it earlier?

"Run," she said to her own squad first. Then, into her headset, she yelled, "Run!"

She didn't hear any response; the tornado was drawing close enough that the strength of the winds were completely overpowering all other sounds around them. She was able to run and look behind her long enough to see the tornado tear through the flat expanse of ground separating it and Delta Squad first, almost as if moving with a purpose. She watched the bubble of protective magic remain on the ground for all of a few seconds before flickering out; lightning bolts highlighted the flailing forms of ponies being swept into the funnel.

She stopped focusing on the tornado and pushed her squad forward; as squad leader, they would either follow her pace or be left behind, so they kept even with her. She could just barely hear a static-rich voice coming through her communicator.

"—pha Sq— We're— Hel—"

And then there was just static.

"Faster!" Belle snapped at her squad, especially Meteor. "Faster, damn you!"

And so they moved faster. There was no time to focus on what was behind them anymore; they focused only on what was ahead. Belle could feel the sheer force of wind picking up behind her; was the tornado following them? She could even swear she was hearing the damned thing laughing, like it was enjoying the chase and relishing the thought of swallowing her and her squad whole.

The sight of the mountainside ahead was the most welcome thing Belle had ever seen in her life. She pushed forward even faster than before, and her squad followed suit. Then she saw the cavern entrance, just wide enough to fit two ponies at a time, and so she moved even faster, and her squad, again, followed suit.

She was the first through the threshold, followed by Blitz and Rust, then Viridian. Meteor was last, but just as he was about to cross through into the safety of the cave, he was swept off his hooves and into the air; the sheer strength of the wind was enough to cut through his barrier and overpower him without him even dropping it.

He shouted in a panic and reached towards the safety of the cavern; Belle moved just quickly enough to grab his hoof. As soon as she did, she felt herself be drawn up into the winds as well, and it was only the quick-thinking of Rust and Blitz that kept her from being yanked right out of the cave.

She held on as hard as she could, but she could still feel the powerful winds threatening to tear her out of the grip of her earth pony squadmates. Meteor shouted something; she couldn't hear it over the storm. But after feeling yet another tug of the wind against her, feeling even Rust and Blitz be shifted by the wind's power, she decided to cut her losses. She let go.

Meteor disappeared into the tornado, his face marred with absolute terror and despair as he realized that he was already dead. And he was gone, just like that, screaming and flailing in an effort to stop it. But he couldn't stop it. Nopony could.

Without the wind pulling on her and Meteor, it was easy for Blitz and Rust to yank Belle back into the safety of the cave, to where Viridian was waiting wordlessly and staring off into the raging storm outside. Only a few seconds later, the tornado seemed to pass, its hunger satiated and having lost interest in those who had escaped; the predator would not waste its time on prey it could not reach.

Blitz helped Belle to her hooves. "You did all you could, Sister Belle."

Belle snorted and gave Blitz a look, just so that he would know how stupid his statement was before she had to use her words. "Meteor was weak. His loss is insignificant, and we are stronger without him. Were his dedication to the cause as strong as ours, he would have lived, guided by our Dark Lady's hooves. In death he will serve our Mistress more than he could in life; his soul is now food to bolster Her power."

"Agreed, Sister," said Rust with a firm nod. "Shall we make camp here for the night, or press onward?"

"Is our equipment still in working order?"

Rust and Blitz each did a brief inspection of their gear—a long armor-piercing rifle for Rust, and a rocket launcher for Blitz—then gave her a firm nod; everything was in order.

"Good, then we press onward for now, only stopping when we have no more strength to give," Belle said. She stepped up to Viridian and pressed her hoof firmly against his gruesome horn. "Which way do we proceed from here?"

Viridian did not react to Belle's touch, he just merely closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them, they—and his horn—glowed with a sickening green color. "The Vessel is south from here," he said in an eerie monotone. "The journey is not far, four days at most."

"The Checkpoint," said Rust with a nod. "That's where the Vessel is."

"Excellent, then we can make our move while the Vessel believes that she is safe," Belle said with a sinister smile. "Our Mistress will be most pleased."

Rust shook his head. "We would need to head back out into the storm to attack her there. Without Meteor, we don't have the means to move through it, even for a short distance."

Belle's eye twitched. "Damn." She took a moment to breathe, then pointed firmly at Rust. "You know these caverns better than anypony, Rust. What would you suggest we do?"

"Get as close to the Checkpoint as we can, then make our move as soon as the sandstorm gives us an opening," he said with a nod. "I know a few entrances that would be of use to us and should give us a vantage point."

"Good, good. Then you shall take point and lead the way through the caves." She then pointed at Viridian. "Inform us if there is any change in her location. If she moves so much as an inch, I want to know about it immediately."

"Yes, Sister Belle," Viridian said in that same cold monotone.

Belle smiled and gestured for Rust to move. "Our moment of triumph is upon us, Brothers. Soon, the Vessel will be ours, and our Dark Lady's return will be assured. Long may She reign!

"Long may She reign!" cheered the others.

Chapter Eight: Relations

Pinkie had had to be very careful in how she went about finding where Pedigree's office was, which incidentally was on the floor just above the Shadows' school. She'd taken a few days to finagle her way around and to subtly inquire about it to the one pony she knew wouldn't snitch—Curaçao—just so that nopony would know what was going on.

Even Rainbow didn't know that she was here right now, but wouldn't be bothered by it anyway; she was out with Havoc watching a skyball game and wouldn't be back until later tonight.

Most of Pinkie's time had been used studying Pedigree and Velvet's schedules so that she could do this at a time when it was highly likely that the former would be alone in his office and that the latter wouldn't disturb him for long enough—or at all—that Pinkie could do her thing and get out before anypony else was any the wiser to her shenanigans.

This was a stealth mission, and so Pinkie dressed for the occasion in a tight-fitting sleeveless gi, bright purple in color and accessorized with a long red bandana that covered her mouth and nose and flowed behind her like a scarf. There were few more iconic ninjas than the one who could wear such bright colors and get away with it.

The outfit was one of her own, of course, not something anypony had given her. Where she got it, nopony else knew, but Pinkie knew and that was all that mattered. You don't need to know where she got it, so don't ask.

I am ninja; silent, deadly, and as swift as the wind, she thought as she skulked her way into the elevator from her and Rainbow's room.

She clung to the ceiling of the elevator as it passed up alongside the tower; nopony would see her unless they looked straight up, and why would they look straight up anyway? In fact, there was nopony in the elevator but her, at least not at the moment, so who would—

Then, the elevator stopped at the tower's gymnasium, and a couple of Shadow youngsters entered, two colts. She recognized them, of course, because she'd memorized the faces of all of Red's students in very little time; she just had to know more about the bunch of precocious youths, and it simply would not do to not memorize every last one of them.

One was Black Bolt, a unicorn with a jet black coat and a silver mane; the other was Silver Spots, another unicorn, though his mane was white and his coat was dark gray and covered with silver spots, hence the name. They were both chatting about something when they got in, and Pinkie got to hear a snippet as she rode with them to the next floor up.

Hmm hmm hmm, I have escaped their notice, for I am as delicate as a leaf on the breeze, invisible as a teardrop in the rain. I am ninja.

"—until Sunspire gets back," said Bolt. "He's gonna be so jealous. I can't wait to see the look on his face."

"Hee hee, yeah!" cheered Spots. "I didn't think Black Typhoon would answer your question, especially on air like that! That was so cool!"

"I had goosebumps when he was reading it!"

"So cool!"

"So cool!"

The elevator dinged seconds later for the Shadow facility's main floor, and the two colts started to step off the elevator.

Then, Pinkie slipped from her perch and landed on the floor of the elevator behind them.

They stared at her.

She stared at them.

Then, they just shrugged and went on their way without another word.

Pinkie scuttled back to her spot on the elevator's ceiling as the doors closed behind the colts. Hmm hmm, I strike fear into the hearts of ponies. Any who see me know that to acknowledge my presence is death, for I am ninja.

The elevator then dinged on Pedigree's floor, and Pinkie expertly slinked down to the floor and crawled her way towards Pedigree's office, inch by excruciating inch; none would see her approach until it was too late. There was no escaping from Pinkie at that moment; she saw all the angles and knew every avenue of exit that her target could take. No, he would not escape her. He could try, but he would fail.

She shimmied up alongside the door to his office, unnoticed, invisible to the naked eye. Time to strike. With a single motion, she slid open his door and leaped into the office, striking a fearsome pose, the darkness of the room clashing with the light behind her and creating a silhouette that meant only pain and despair—

"Hmm? Oh, hello Pinkie," Pedigree said, raising an eyebrow. "To what do I owe the pleasure? I didn't even hear you knock, my apologies."

Pinkie straightened up immediately and tugged the bandana down from her nose and mouth as she closed the door behind her. "Hello Pedigree! Hey, do you mind if we have a little chat? You have time, don't you?"

He checked the time on his watch, seeming to run some calculations in his head as he did so, then nodded. "Yes, I have some time if you want to have a conversation. I have a meeting with Miss Dawn in about an hour that I must prepare for, though, so if we can wrap things up before that I would appreciate it."

"Oh yeah yeah yeah, no biggie!"

She jumped over and into the swiveling office chair on the opposite side of his desk, taking a glance around the room as the chair spun in place. Everything was remarkably simple with hardly any decorations at all to note, not even so much as a potted plant, even a fake one! Most of his furniture was black with red trim, lending a slightly sinister vibe to everything that, if Pinkie didn't know better, would be just perfect for some sort of villain.

But then most of the tower was colored like that. Did the sisters not redecorate after Silvertongue left the tower to them? Weird.

"What did you want to talk about?" Pedigree asked, leaning back in his seat. "I'll admit that I don't know terribly much about you, but I'm still a bit surprised that you want to talk to me in the first place. I doubt that we have much in common."

"Well, we have one thing in common," Pinkie said with a firm nod. "Red Velvet. We both care a lot about her, don't we?"

Pedigree nodded back. "I suppose that's true. She and I have an excellent working relationship together, and I consider her a good friend."

"Mmhmm. A good friend, yup, sure," Pinkie said with a tight-lipped smile. She kicked her rear hooves up onto one of the chair's side rests. "Be honest with me, Pedigree: what are your intentions with her? Hmm?"

He raised an eyebrow. "My… intentions? What do you mean?"

"I've been watching you, y'know. And I've been watching Red. Like a hawk, mmhmm. A hawk with the eye of an eagle… or a hawk. Nothing escapes my sleuth sense, and I know that you know that you know that I know that there's more to you two than 'just friends'."

Pedigree tilted his head slightly, eyebrow still quirked. "I assume you are referring to our… ahem, private dalliances? Forgive me for asking, but you haven't been, ah… spying on us in that sense, have you? I doubt that she would mind but I certainly would."

"Huh? Oh!" Pinkie giggled and waved her hooves in front of her face. "No no no, I haven't watched you guys do anything like that, but I know that you do. Not only is Red not exactly subtle about it—and I don't just mean that she's loud—but she pretty much outright told me that you two are…" She bit her tongue and, in a deep voice, she said: "Intimate."

"Ah. Yes, well." He straightened his collar. "I don't think that is much of a secret these days. Velvet doesn't mind if other ponies on the staff know about our… intimacy, and nopony seems to have a problem with knowing about it either, least of all myself. Though I'll admit, I was a bit surprised at first that she was so open about it. Coworker fraternization is frowned upon in some businesses."

Pinkie tapped her chin. "Oh yeah, hey, I just realized that you guys are coworkers. I guess some ponies would consider that, like, a conflict of interest or something? Or that it could make things weird at work?" With a giggle, she added, "Some folks think my Dashie and her flightmate, Soarin', are like, perfect as a couple or something. Ha! Weirdos. Not in our universe."

"Forgive me if I sound blunt, Pinkie, but is there a point to this line of questioning?" he asked, steepling his hooves.

"Oh! Yeah, there is, I promise." Pinkie straightened herself upright in the chair. "You and Red are doing the horizontal tango pretty regularly, but I wanted to know if that's all there was between you guys."

"I don't understand. You mean, is there more to it than sex?"

"Yeah, exactly. Do you have feelings for Red?"

Pedigree blinked and settled back in his seat. "That's… a rather loaded question. On one hoof, of course I do, I consider her a friend. Yes, sex is involved, but that doesn't change that fact at all. On the other hoof…" He paused, then shook his head and sighed. "I would not want to ruin what we have. I think that should suffice?"

Pinkie shook her head right back. "If you don't want to tell me, I won't poke my nose in it any more, but I'm just looking out for her. And for you."

"For me?"

"Yup, for you." Pinkie sighed and leaned forward, steepling her own hooves and staring at him, dead serious. "I get the feeling that you really care about her and that she cares about you, but I don't think she knows how to show it the right way. I wanted to make sure that I was really seeing what I thought I saw so that you don't get hurt if she, y'know, doesn't quite see this the way you do."

Pedigree smirked slightly. "I believe you are referring to her multiple other partners?"

Pinkie tilted her head. "Well… yeah. I won't pretend I understand why Red does what she does; I know I'm not like that. I'm very, very, very happy with my Dashie and what we have going, and she's happy with me. Sure, we might do some window-shopping every now and then and we've even suggested having a little ménage à trois—"

"You… don't need to share all of that with me. It's really none of my business what you and your wife get up to in the bedroom."

"It's not for you, I'm sharing with the audience. It's called setting things up." Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Oh, you wouldn't get it. Anyway!"

"Pinkie, look, if you're concerned that I'm concerned about her sexual escapades, don't be. I don't mind it, so long as she's taking precautions." With a tilt of his head, he added, "By which I mean that she isn't being taken advantage of in ways that she wouldn't like."

"Because there are plenty of ways she does like being taken advantage of," Pinkie suggested with a grin.

"She pretty much said that verbatim when I had that conversation with her, yes," Pedigree replied, rolling his eyes. "It doesn't bother me that she has multiple partners. I've even helped her with choosing ideal ones in a particular circumstance."

Pinkie was confused, befuddled, and downright stupefied by that comment. "What?"

"She never told you about—" Pedigree paused, then sunk down in his seat. "I see. Well, I suppose that there's no sense in hiding it from you. Velvet would have told you sooner or later, I feel, and if you're anything like her you won't leave me alone until you get an answer."

Pinkie scoffed and crossed her hooves over her chest. "That's because she's like me, not the other way around, ya goof. Sheesh. Now, whatchu talkin' 'bout, Pedi?"

"There's no easy way to put this," Pedigree sighed. "Velvet cannot have foals of her own."

"Huh?"

"She is infertile. A condition brought upon by some… unforeseen side effects of her using her blood magic powers in ways that nopony could have predicted, namely as a means of birth control. That is what motivated her to adopt Caramel Rye, incidentally; he found out about her condition and in consoling her, convinced her to do so."

Pinkie leaned back in her seat and put her hoof over her heart. "You mean… Red really can't have foals? Ever?"

"It is my hope that that will not be the case in the future," he said, rapping his hoof on the side of his chair. "I've been working on a solution for some time now, but until such a time that the treatment is available, no, she cannot."

"When did she find out? How?"

"About five years ago, she made the decision that she wanted a foal of her own. Missus Curaçao and Missus Shroud were having a foal, and Velvet was convinced that Missus Skies—don't tell her I called her that—would be expecting soon as well. She came to me for help in… more ways than one."

"Uh… what?" Then, gears clicked. "Oh. Oh. She asked you to—

"She did. Not just me, actually; she found… amusement, I suppose, in the concept of a 'lottery' so to speak. She already had two candidates for her idea: myself and a pilot from Hope's Point, a… Captain Briarthorn, I believe? But she wanted more than two, so she asked me for help in reviewing the genetic and medical histories of her other frequent partners.

"As an expert geneticist the task was trivial, and I narrowed down her list to three other candidates. Their identities are unimportant to you, but suffice to say they had excellent potential as fathers to a foal, particularly with Velvet. Her genetic material—your genetic material—is pristine and well-suited for motherhood."

Pinkie's eyes widened and she couldn't help but look at her stomach, then back at Pedigree. "Are you coming on to me?"

"What?" he asked, eyes wide as well.

"What?"

"You just said—"

"No I didn't. You were saying? Something about Velvet?"

He blinked; she blinked back.

He shook his head. "Ahem, er… yes. Well. That was my professional opinion at any rate, and naturally I was honored to be considered as a candidate. Incidentally, I played no part in suggesting myself; she was convinced that I was ideal without me needing to advertise my own… well, pedigree."

"Ohhh, now your name makes sense," Pinkie said with a sagely nod. She paused, then her eyes went wide. "Wow. Wowee wow wow, she asked you to put a bun in her oven? Really? Just like that out of the blue?"

He chuckled. "It came as a surprise to me, certainly. Normally I would have refused the offer in order to avoid complications in our working relationship, but… well, to be honest, when she asked I agreed to it almost immediately. I can look back on it now and know why, but at the time I thought I was just drawn in by the prospect of sex with an attractive mare. Now, though, I know it's for a different reason."

"And what's that?"

"I wanted her." He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "It wasn't the sex that motivated me, it was having a foal with her. With her, specifically. I wanted her. It seems silly now to think otherwise."

Pinkie gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I can see it in your eyes. You really did, didn't you? You still do."

He sighed again. "Is it that obvious? Yes, I do. Nopony was more devastated by the news of her infertility than me, aside from Velvet herself. The three suitors I had recommended to her from here in the city, they offered condolences I'm sure, but I know that they were insincere, probably even relieved. Captain Briarthorn was sincere from what I heard of it, but it was for her sake and hers alone; I doubt that he would have minded if he had not been the father."

"Does she know? About what you wanted?"

He rapped his hoof on his chair again. "No. I never told her. My condolences were entirely for her sake, to address her own sorrow, not my own. I am glad that she managed to pull through the experience thanks to her son's efforts, but a part of me hoped that she would want to keep trying until it worked."

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "But you two still have sex, right? I mean, duh, obviously. I figured that out like three chapters ago."

"Well, yes, certainly, but she's not concerned with the thought of foals anymore."

"And you still are."

"I suppose I am."

Pinkie shook her head. "You need to tell her, Pedigree."

"Tell her what? That despite five years of trying and failing that I wish that I could father a foal with her?" he scoffed.

"Uh, yeah? That's exactly what you should tell her. Well, maybe not verbatim. Be more romantic about it." Pinkie placed her hooves together and looked at the ceiling. "'Oh, my sweet Velvet, I wish that I could make beautiful foals with you'. Or something like that."

"I… will think of a better way to put it…"

She smiled. "I sure hope so! Because I've got an idea, and I want you to be in on it."

He raised an eyebrow. "An idea? What kind of idea?"

Pinkie's smile grew to a tremendous size, truly tremendous. "Oh, you'll see. And you won't have to wait too long, either, I promise."

*****

It was roughly noon and Havoc was seated at her desk in her room, staring at the screen of her computer station. The conference call program was open, one window displaying her own face while another displayed, at the moment anyway, nothing at all.

She rapped her hoof against the edge of her desk briefly, leaning back and letting out a frustrated breath. She knew that she'd agreed to do this, but she still didn't really want to. This just wasn't what she wanted out of life anymore; she was done with that phase and was ready to move on.

With a sigh, she tapped a few keys to start up the call, and seconds later, Admiral Jetstream answered, his face taking up the other window on the screen. Like Havoc he was currently dressed fairly casually, though for him that meant not wearing a military uniform. This was an informal call, after all, so he didn't need to put on airs; she was glad that he didn't try to, because that meant that he respected the situation.

"Havoc, good to see you," Jetstream said with a little grin. "Thanks again for agreeing to this. I know it's not really your business anymore—"

"Save it, Jet," Havoc replied, rolling her eyes. "I'd be a real piece of shit not to help a friend out when they need it, and I still consider you a friend even if we won't be working together anymore."

"Well, thank you anyway then, for taking the time out of your day to deal with me and my bullshit. How are things on your end? The implant isn't bothering you or anything is it?"

Havoc absently let her hoof press on her face just under her artificial eye. "Nah, it's cool. It finally stopped itching the other day. How 'bout you? How're the perks of being the pony in charge now?"

"Stressful," Jetstream admitted, letting out a breath and leaning back in his seat. "But somepony's gotta do the work, and I'm the best pony for the job. Apparently, anyway. Miss Curaçao seemed to think so."

"Well, she knows what she's doing, so I trust that she picked the right pony for the position." With a little smirk, she asked, "So now that you took your dad's job are you finally gonna tell your mom you wanna replace him in the bedroom too?"

Jetstream groaned and slapped his hoof on the table. "For the thousandth time, that was just a dream brought on by some bad psychedelics. Why do you keep bringing it up? Is this a sick fantasy to you or something?"

"Heh, bullshit. You and I were both on the same psychedelics that night and I didn't have a bad trip that ended up with me dreaming about getting dicked by my dad. Mine was pretty tame: what would it be like if I were a dude. Not my fault the only issue I've got is my weird-ass gender issues."

"Doesn't explain why you feel the need to keep bringing it up."

"I'm just looking out for ya, makin' sure you're coming to terms with wanting to be a literal motherfucker, motherfucker."

"Ohhh, are you a psychiatrist all of a sudden? Should I lay back on a couch and let you try to analyze this supposed Oedipal complex that you think I have? Which I don't?"

"I'm just sayin', pal, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes it's a fantasy about barebacking your mom. I understand completely, by the way; your mom is kinda hot." Havoc smiled and shrugged. "But we're not here to talk about your mommy kink."

"No, we're not." Jetstream shook his head and grumbled something under his breath, then leaned forward in his chair, turning his normal charming smile back on. "So, I'm sorry to hear that you're leaving the NPAF. You're a damn good soldier, Havoc, and we're lesser without you. I mean that sincerely; I need all the help I can get, and having you around would put my mind at ease."

Havoc smiled back. "Thanks, Jet. Sorry I have to do this to you—"

"No no, no need to apologize. Miss Curaçao told me the whole story. I think some congratulations are in order, yes? I never in my wildest dreams pictured you getting married to anypony, retiring, sitting on your ass behind a desk or something. It doesn't sound like your speed."

"Ohh, so you're dreaming about me now? Does your mom know? Should I be worried?"

Jetstream groaned and put his head in his hooves. "You know what I meant."

She snickered. "Yeah yeah, I know. Just had to get one more jab in there, you know me; can't leave a fight unfinished. But hey, sorry that I'm leaving you high and dry like this right when things are getting rough. I just can't take it anymore. All the bullshit, all the disrespect, I'm so done with all of that."

"I understand completely. I'm not a big fan of how things have gone down either." Jetstream steepled his hooves under his chin. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, shoot."

"What are your thoughts on the whole deal? With your sister forcing my dad to retire and all that, I mean. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be in the position I'm in, but it's years ahead of schedule; Dad wasn't planning on retiring for a while."

Havoc drummed her hoof on the edge of her desk, eyes closed in thought. She'd considered this for a long time, ever since she found out the news in fact. "I was mad at first. Your dad's always been chill with me, and I think he got a fucking shit deal out of all of this. We both know the only reason things went the way they did is because Dawn was just trying to keep a hoof up on Her Majesty.

"But then, that's the kicker, isn't it? After what happened, Queen Blackburn wouldn't have just let everypony carry on like nothing happened. You and I both know that she'd have demanded your dad's resignation before she even looked at a peace treaty. Hell, she might've been mad enough to demand something harsher be done about it; let me tell you, she was pissed."

"I can imagine, yeah," Jetstream grumbled, running a hoof through his mane. "It's taken so much to get her to let go of her grudge against us, I'd hate to see her completely reverse course like that. Those sick fucks were after her kids. Whatever they had planned for 'em, I'm glad we don't know about it."

Through clenched teeth, she said, "I know. Makes me wanna burn them all again. Slower this time… really slow…" She pounded her hoof on the desk, leaving a small scorch mark in the finish. "Like a fucking barbeque!"

Jetstream gave Havoc a hard look. "So, you agree with the decision?"

Havoc sighed and nodded. "It kills me to say it, but yeah, Dawn was right to get a jump on that. Her Majesty was impressed with the initiative, so I think it makes Dawn look good in the end. Though I don't think Dawn was thinking of that when she made the call. She just wanted to find somepony to blame and take out her frustration on."

Jetstream slowly nodded. "That makes sense. I still don't like it, but it was probably the right decision. Thanks. For being honest with me."

"Hey, it's what I do."

"At the very least, I think that I've made it clear to the Shadow Associate that I don't plan on being her lapdog going forward. I will find those responsible for this, and I will make sure that they receive the punishment they deserve. For Her Majesty's sake, for my dad's, and for you. This insurgency will not be allowed to fester, not on my watch."

Havoc gave a little salute. "Well hey, best of luck to you. If you need any help, I'm stuck in this shithole for another couple of weeks, so just hit me up if you need me to lend a hoof. Roasting traitors sounds like fun. Or, y'know, if you need somepony to talk to about your mommy issues."

Jetstream just rolled his eyes, leaving Havoc to chuckle and point and get her kicks some more.

*****

"So what's this all about?" Velvet asked as Pinkie led her along; she was blindfolded and couldn't see a thing—she wasn't a stranger to the sensation, though there was usually a stallion behind or above her, or both!—so her curiosity was peaked. Piqued? Peeked? Her curiosity was high. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see, Red, just be patient," Pinkie giggled. "Trust me, you're gonna love it! I worked really hard to put this together for you."

"Ooh, you're getting me all excited, Pink, and not in a tingly sexy way, but in a giggly bouncy way. Is it some of your homemade cupcakes? Ohhh, did you make a big cake? I'm picturing a really tall cake, chocolate, triple layer, with… strawberries. And a stripper inside it. Is there a stripper in your cake?"

"I'm saving that for your birthday, Red, take it easy." A pause. "Say, when is your birthday, anyway? I can't believe that I've never asked!"

"Same as yours."

"Ah, okay, that makes things easier. I was worried you had the same birthday as your sisters considering how you all were, well, 'born' on the same day and stuff. Does that mean Rarity and Insipid have the same birthday? Or Dashie and Gray?"

"Yup!"

"Cool, cool cool cool, that makes things super easy to plan for later, and now I don't need to ask! Thanks, Red!"

"Are you really gonna get me a stripper in a cake for my birthday?"

"Oh absolutely. I've done it for Dashie before, more than once. Only, y'know, I was the stripper in the cake." Pinkie patted Velvet's shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't be your stripper though. I know which way your barn doors swing."

"Isn't it just 'barn door'? Singular?"

"This is you we're talking about."

"Ooh, was that a burn? 'Cause you're not wrong."

Velvet felt Pinkie take her into the tower's elevator, which she only knew because she recognized the way the floor felt under her hooves, and then of course the familiar sound of the doors opening and closing and the beeps the buttons made when they were pressed.

Velvet tried to figure out which floor they were going to, but she couldn't tell; the elevator was pretty quiet as it moved down floors—she could at least tell they were going down—so there weren't any tells as they went from floor to floor.

Then the elevator dinged and the doors hissed open, and Pinkie led her out and into the room beyond, one step, two steps, ten steps, stop. Pinkie then removed the blindfold, and Velvet found herself… in the common room of the Shadow facility? Only it was empty, and at this time of day? Just her and Pinkie, nopony else, not even a single colt or filly working on homework.

Velvet raised an eyebrow and turned to Pinkie. "Uh, what gives—"

Then, all at once, the room filled with noise as colts and fillies popped out of hiding places behind and beneath tables and chairs, all of them yelling "Surprise!" as they did. A big banner dropped down over the television screen in the classroom area, reading "We Love You Miss Velvet!!!" and decorated with hearts made out of glitter and glue. And there was confetti everywhere.

Velvet didn't jump in surprise or anything—it was hard wired into her system to always expect a surprise party even when she wasn't consciously aware of it—but she sure as hell was surprised. "What's all this? What's going on?"

"I got everypony together for a little surprise party, duh," Pinkie said, wrapping a hoof around Velvet's shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because you've been depressed, silly! And I figured out why: you think you messed up bad and that you don't deserve to be happy after what happened to lil' Caramel and stuff. Well, sister, that's a big ol' load of baloney! Everypony deserves to be happy, especially you!" Pinkie tightened her side-hug. "You've been nothing but a good influence on so many ponies. One 'mistake' doesn't change that, no sirree."

Velvet frowned. "Pinkie, you didn't need to—"

"Nope, I didn't need to do this at all. But I wanted to, like you did for me when I was feelin' blue." Pinkie gestured towards all the kids. "And they did too when I told them that you were feeling sad and needed a lil' ol' pick-me-up. They jumped at the chance to do this!" She waved some of them over. "C'mon, kids, tell Miss Velvet what you told me."

Black Bolt and Silver Spots came up first, both wearing the brightest smiles you ever did see. "You're the best teacher ever, Miss Velvet," said Bolt. "You're nicer than anypony I've ever met."

"Yeah! You're super nice!" Spots agreed. "And you've been really cool about me and Bolt wanting to be pro wrestlers when we grow up."

"Yeah!" Bolt said with a flex. "We're gonna be the bestest tag team in the whole sport! And we're gonna tell 'em we got into it 'cause our teacher was always there to help us when we needed it."

Spots nodded rapidly. "I don't think we'd have been able to figure out how to get all those pay-per-views without your help. And you're always there to help us when we're practicing, even if it's just to make sure we don't get hurt when we're trying out all the moves and stuff."

"And you kiss our booboos when we do get hurt. Like when I landed wrong on that moonsault."

"Yeah!"

Razzle Dazzle grumbled and pushed her way into the middle of the two colts. "Stop hogging Miss Velvet! We all want a turn!"

The two colts looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry, Razzle," said Bolt.

"Thanks Miss Velvet!" said Spots.

As the two colts moved off to the side, Razzle stepped forward with the members of her little clique: Plum Crisp, Souvenir, Sweet Lullaby, and Chroma Key. They all looked so cute in their little matching dresses and perfectly-applied make-up and accessories; they'd learned a lot from Insipid on how to look their best.

"Miss Velvet! You're the nicest pony ever!" Razzle said with a big smile.

"You're always there for us when we have a question or when we need help," said Plum. "Even when you don't know the answer you always find somepony who does. You even helped me on my art project last month, and made me laugh when you got paint all over your butt."

"And you helped me when I was still having trouble with numbers," said Souvenir with a big, confident nod. "Now I get good grades on all my math tests, yep yep. I'm at the top of my class, right behind Sunspire."

"I really like your cooking classes," said Lullaby, scuffing her hoof on the floor. "You taught me how to make strawberry shortcake because I wanted to give Miss Insipid a birthday cake that I made all by myself, and she loved it. She loved it! I couldn't have done that without you."

Chroma—who was able to change her coat and mane colors at will and currently had them exactly matching Velvet's—clapped her hooves together. "And I helped with the frosting!"

The fashion clique moved on after giving their little spiels, and the rest of the Shadows all followed suit, from the little group of friends that were trying to make a jazz band of all things and needed instruments that Velvet had procured for them, to the skyball team that Havoc had formed with Red's permission and blessing. Even the students not in any cliques or teams loved her for supporting them with their individual passions and interests no matter how weird or niche they were. Even Honey Heart, whose dream was being a beekeeper.

Each of them told Velvet just how much she meant to them for all of the little things that she did every single day just to make them feel loved and appreciated, and they told her how they wanted her to feel that she was loved and appreciated by all of them in turn.

The last of the Shadows to approach were, to Velvet's surprise, Caramel and Marée; Caramel had finished his physical therapy only yesterday, so Marée was helping him to make sure he was still walking correctly and upright.

"Miss Velvet, you've always been so nice to me," Marée said with a small smile. "Not just for helping me with my dancing, or for being there for me when I was feeling sick or got hurt, but… always. You… you saved my life when those mean ponies wanted to hurt me and Caramel, and I don't care that it was scary. I don't blame you for what happened."

"Me neither, Mom," Caramel said after taking a short breath. "You're my mom, and I love you more than anything in the whole world. I don't like seeing you sad, and I know you're sad because I got hurt, but… I'm getting better now. I'm going to keep getting better, Mom, and I want you to start feeling better too, because I love you and I want you to be happy."

Velvet stepped forward and wrapped her little colt up in a big hug; she was fighting back tears and doing a lousy job at it. "Oh, Caramel… I'm so sorry for what happened. I never wanted to see you get hurt. I never wanted to hurt anypony. I just wanted you to have fun and be happy, and—"

"I know, Mom," he said, returning the hug. "It wasn't your fault. Please don't blame yourself anymore? I don't like seeing you cry."

She laughed slightly and wiped her eyes as best as she could without breaking the hug. "I'm just so, so sorry that everything went wrong. I love you, Caramel. I would never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you. I'm so happy that you're my son, so happy that you're okay…"

"It's gonna be alright, Mom. I'm gonna be okay."

She squeezed him just a little tighter, then kissed his forehead and set him back down.

She looked at all of the Shadows who had gathered here, all the little colts and fillies and their smiling faces, and she felt a wave of… joy just sweep through her. "You're all so sweet, kids. I… thank you, all of you. This means a lot to me."

"They certainly are a special bunch, aren't they?" said Pedigree from behind her.

She turned and gave him a little smile. "Pedi, hey. Did you help Pinkie out with all this? 'Cause you've outdone yourself, mister."

"I didn't have to do much, and neither did Pinkie." Pedigree stepped alongside her and gestured out towards the kids. "The students all agreed to it immediately. They knew what they wanted to say before we were even done asking if they wanted to help us throw a little party for you. They're sweet, caring kids with big hearts. And they definitely didn't learn that from me."

"Pedi…"

"No, it's true." He took her hoof in his gently. "When we first met, I was focused on results and nothing more. These wonderful young ponies meant nothing more to me than numbers and potential. It took you to show me the error of my ways, to convince me to give them the lives that they deserved to have. Lives that they would have never had without you."

Velvet patted his hoof sweetly. "Pedi, you're not a bad pony. You just needed a little helping hoof to shake yourself outta that bad place you were in."

"And it was you who did that. You were a friend to me when I'd never known friendship, you were a warm, kind heart when my heart was cold and hard. I look at what my life is like today and… I can't imagine what it would be like without you in it. You made me want to be a better stallion. You still do, every single day."

Velvet felt her face get hot; nopony had ever talked to her like that before and it was making her entire body react. Her knees were shaking; her heart was beating faster than it had any right to be; her stomach was doing flips; her breath was catching in her throat; her nethers… well, she kept those sensations in check since there were kids around.

"Oh geez, Pedi, wh-what are you saying?" she giggled, brushing her mane out of her face and biting her lip.

He stepped forward and squeezed her hoof tightly; his nostrils flared slightly, and she could just feel the pleasant baritone in his voice as it shook the very foundations of her mind. "I think that you know exactly what I'm saying."

She did. It was the hottest thing anypony had ever said to her or to anypony else in the history of ever.

Velvet's eyes watered, and she had to bring her other hoof up to wipe them; she'd never dreamed that anypony would ever say anything like this to her. Not to her, not ever. "Y-yeah, I, uh… I think I do. Wow. Wowee wow wow. Holy guacamole, that's a, uh… wow. Wow." She put her hoof up to his cheek. "You really know how to make a mare feel special."

She then shook her head and looked around at all the smiling face of little colts and fillies who said that she'd made their lives better, at her darling son holding hooves with his best friend Mareé, at the banner and all the confetti all over the floor. All of this… for her.

She then looked at Pinkie for the first time in what felt like forever; the other mare was just standing there, leaning against the nearest wall looking cooler than the other side of the pillow, a confident, cocksure grin on her face that did nothing to hide the sheer warmth and tenderness in her eyes. Velvet could tell that Pinkie was probably killing herself right now to keep all of that joy and excitement contained; her body couldn't handle love of that magnitude.

"Pinkie… thank you. For all of this," Velvet said with the most sincere, heartfelt smile that had ever been smiled and the most bone-crushing hug that had ever been hugged.

"It was no biggie," Pinkie said; Velvet was certain that she saw some liquid joy literally leaking out of her ears. "After all, it was the least I could do for you, the Bestest Best Long-Lost-Sister-From-Another-World-Who's-Actually-A-Clone in the whole wide everything. Now!" She broke out of the hug and clapped her hooves together. "If we don't get this party started for real, I'm literally going to explode. So let's party!"

*****

Rainbow had done many things in her life that she considered outside of her comfort zone, but she'd done them anyway because it would make her friends happy and it's not like they hurt or anything.

The top of her list was still and would always be having to get gussied up in a dress and make-up and then flirting with—ugh—Zephyr Breeze to distract him. She knew she had her fair share of male admirers, but they typically dropped it once she told them that she didn't swing that way. That dude couldn't take a hint, like he could convince her that she wasn't really gay if only she gave him a shot. And to think he was somehow related to Fluttershy.

Today wasn't quite that bad. In fact it was kind of tame in the grand scheme of things, but she still felt out of place and a little awkward doing it. But Havoc was busy with business today and Pinkie had some big surprise planned for Velvet that was really none of Rainbow's business, so she had to do something rather than just hang around the tower like a mooch.

So no, Curaçao's lunch invitation didn't seem like a bad idea.

She didn't like that she'd had to dress up a bit, though, but had been able to convince Curaçao to let her wear her Wonderbolts uniform—yes, this was considered an emergency—to which the other mare agreed. Apparently a "military" uniform was appropriate attire for a fancy lunch party, or at least enough that nopony would be upset. Curaçao knew a lot about this stuff apparently.

Rainbow sat next to Curaçao's wife Shroud around the mid-sized round table that could comfortably fit six. Shroud was a mare with a pink coat and a red mane, somewhat plain but not unattractive, who wore a thick pair of horn-rimmed glasses and a green lace dress. Rainbow had to give this mare some props, because in her opinion, a bombshell like Curaçao was way out of her league.

Shroud sat next to Curaçao, naturally— no, that wasn't accurate, because they'd set up another chair in between them specifically for their daughter, Jellybean. This was the first time Rainbow had actually met the little filly, and there was something odd about her that Rainbow couldn't quite put her hoof on. She intended to ask about it during lunch; it was a perfectly legitimate, reasonable thing to ask, she figured.

So anyway, that meant Curaçao was next, and the mare had groomed and dressed herself to the nines; that black dress was—and Rainbow never thought she'd ever use this word—lovely. The mare wouldn't just fit in at a fancy gala, she'd dominate a fancy gala. It seemed almost a little much for a little lunch get-together, but then Curaçao seemed like the sort to go all-in on things like that.

Probably something she inherited from Applejack, ironic as that was.

Lastly, on Rainbow's other side, was Insipid. She was, like Curaçao, dressed to impress in a shiny, purple lace gown that wouldn't look out of place at the sorts of dinner parties that Rainbow didn't get invited to until she became a Wonderbolt. She accessorized it with a matching sun hat despite there not being any freaking sun up here, but hey, fashion is fashion and sometimes it doesn't make sense, it just looks good.

And boy, did she look good.

Rainbow hadn't seen Insipid in person since she and Pinkie had arrived back in this world again, and now she knew why: Insipid didn't live at the tower like the other sisters did, having instead moved into a penthouse apartment in one of the ritziest buildings in one of the ritziest districts in all of New Pandemonium. And it was paid for entirely with her own money, not the trust fund that Havoc lived on and used to buy the Rockets.

And dang, the apartment was nice. Rainbow had visited a few of the well-to-do apartments in Canterlot and Manehattan, and apart from the fanciest of the fancy they just didn't compare to this. There was plenty of room to do pretty much whatever a pony could want to do with all that space, and there were plenty of rooms to do pretty much whatever a pony could want to do with all those rooms.

There was an entertainment room complete with a bar, a dining room, a huge kitchen, a drawing room, a study, three guest bedrooms, Insipid's huge master bedroom—seriously, it was bigger than Twilight's room at the royal palace back home—as well as an exercise room, a "runway" room that Insipid used to test out new outfits, and a large outdoor area complete with a pool. The outdoor area was currently off-limits because of the sandstorm, obviously, and Insipid had needed to seal up the shutters to protect the glass, but still, it was there.

Rainbow had mostly tuned out parts of the conversation the others were having until all of a sudden she was drawn into it when Insipid asked, "So, Rainbow, Curie tells me you're, like, some sort of… stunt flyer? Or something like that?"

Rainbow immediately sat up straight so that nopony thought that she'd been ignoring them. "Uh, yeah, that's right. I fly with the Wonderbolts. Second-Lieutenant Rainbow Dash, at your service."

"Ooh, cool! You've got a rank and stuff like Havoc does. Er, did." Insipid gave a little shrug and a tight-lipped smile, then took a sip of her lemonade. "What's that like, anyhow? Stunt flying, I mean? We don't have anything like that around here, and like, the stunt flyers they have in Hope's Point use airships and junk to fly. You fly without one?"

"Yup, I fly au naturel."

Insipid held up a hoof, still keeping that same tight-lipped smile and looking like she was trying not to giggle. "Hold on a sec, I didn't know you spoke Romantique. Je suis impressionné. Pourquoi ne… ne l'avez-vous… pas dit plus tôt?"

"Uh… what?"

Insipid glanced at Curaçao. "Did I not get that right?"

Curaçao smiled and continued sipping from her own lemonade. "Oui, c'était bien. But Rainbow is not, ah, fluent in the language. 'Au naturel' is a 'loan' saying from Romantique that can easily be understood even if one doesn't speak the language."

Insipid nodded in understanding. "Ah, I get it. Like avant garde and carte blanche?"

"Oui, exactly like those."

"Right, right. My bad, I made an assumption, and you all know what they say about assuming. 'Don't do it'."

"I don't think that's the saying," said Shroud with a smirk.

Insipid grinned. "It is when there're sweet little fillies present. Cha."

Shroud laughed and tousled her daughter's mane. "Fair enough."

"Mommy, don't mess up my mane!" squeaked little Jellybean as she protected her mane from the assault. "Mama worked hard to make it look nice!"

"Oh, do not give Mommy a hard time mon trésor," Curaçao tutted.

Rainbow coughed gently to get the group's attention; she saw an opportunity and she was gonna fly with it. "So, uh, I've got a question, Curie, if you don't mind my asking."

Curaçao raised an eyebrow but did not respond for a second or two, then just grinned and nodded. "Ah, I believe I know what it is."

"You do? But I haven't even asked it yet."

"Oui, but you jumped in at such a particular moment that I feel it is only obvious. We have spoken many times in the past several days, but you have never asked me permission to ask a question until now, when Jellybean became a point of interest. Simple deductive reasoning."

Rainbow blinked; she knew Curaçao was smart, but not detective smart. "Uh… I mean, yeah, that's right, but—"

"Go on, though, ask your question."

Rainbow scratched her head. "Right. Okay. So, uh… what's the deal there? 'Cause she looks just like both of you, but unless you guys got really lucky and found an exact lookalike or something, I'm just not getting it. How'd that work out?"

Curaçao's answer was short and simple: "I am a shapeshifter."

"Well, yeah, I know that. You showed off your power and everything." Rainbow smirked. "It was kind of cool seeing another me walking around for a few seconds there, actually. You're pretty good at that. It's like the changelings we have back home, but like, you're not all insect-y. So what does that have to do with it?"

"You and Pinkie have told me about these 'changelings', oui, and the resemblance is uncanny. I also have a limitation that they do not, I think; I cannot alter my shape too dramatically, and I lack the ability to use magic as a unicorn, or to fly as effectively as a pegasus.

"However, without knowledge of other aspects of their shapeshifting qualities, I will make an educated guess and say that their…" She paused, glanced at Jellybean—who was currently somewhat distracted with the straw of her juice box—then returned her look to Rainbow. "Their reproductive habits likely still have 'insect-y' qualities to them."

Rainbow's eyes widened and she nodded. "You mean like how they lay eggs?"

"Oui."

"Well then, yeah, that's a thing. I've seen what the inside of a changeling hive looks like, before and after the big switchover, and either way there's a lot of stuff that makes me think of bugs. I don't know how all that works and I don't wanna know. But what does that have to do with you?"

Curaçao smirked. "I am not an insect, Rainbow. My shapeshifting maintains all of my pony qualities, just in a new form."

"Yeah, and…?"

"That includes any… anatomy required, should I take on the form of a stallion." She glanced at Shroud, who turned bright red and averted her gaze. "Fully functional, oui, ma petite framboise?"

Shroud nodded but did not look at her wife; her face was redder than her mane. "Yup! F-fully functional."

Rainbow glanced between the two, trying her best to connect the dots. Then, the gears clicked. "Oh." Then those gears clicked again. "Oh!" And one more time. "Ohhh. So, you, uh— You had a, y'know— And you put it— And it worked just like—" She shook her head and held up her hooves. "You're serious, right? You can actually do that?"

Curaçao gestured at little Jellybean, and her smirk was so cocky that Rainbow was just a little envious that anypony could make a smirk look that cocky besides herself. "Well, without a demonstration, I think that I can only provide our daughter much proof, oui? Voilà."

Insipid nodded sagely. "That's another 'loan' word, by the way. Cha."

Curaçao then sat upright; Rainbow could hear a slight ringing in the air. She put her hoof to her ear and spoke to nopony in particular, "Oui, go ahead." A pause. "Quoi? Right now?" Another pause. "Non, it is no trouble, I will be there shortly. Do not inform Miss Dawn until I say so."

"Trouble?" asked Shroud.

"Non, but important, potentially troubling information has apparently been uncovered and my presence is needed to look it over. I want to make sure that I am involved before Dawn…" She took a deep breath and took her wife's hooves in her own. "Pardonne-moi mon amour, mais je dois partir."

"That's alright, we'll go along with you," Shroud said with a smile and a nod. "I've got some work to get done myself, and I think Jellybean's done with lunch, aren't you sweetheart?"

The little filly nodded and set down her juice box. "I'm done! Can I go watch Pretty Princess Adventures?"

"Of course! You can watch it with Mommy while she does her computer work, yeah? Like a good little filly?"

"Yeah! Pretty Princess time!"

The couple and their daughter rose from their seats and grabbed their things. Curaçao turned to Rainbow and Insipid. "My apologies to both of you for cutting this short."

"It's fine, Curie," Insipid said with a smile. "You've got work to do, so you do you! I wish I could be, like, getting calls to go do some important work and junk right now." She pouted. "Stupid sandstorm. Stupid lockdown."

Curaçao turned to Rainbow. "Would you like to come back with us?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Nah, that's fine. I haven't finished up lunch anyway, and there's not a lot to do back at the tower 'til Havoc and Pinkie are finished up with the stuff they're doing. I'll let somepony know when I need a ride back."

Incidentally, the group hadn't come to Insipid's apartment through what could be called "normal" means. They'd taken a chariot here, sure, but the chariot had been operated by unicorns instead of the earth ponies or pegasi that Rainbow was used to seeing, and they maintained a protective shield around themselves and the chariot the entire ride over. It was part of the lockdown procedure; she and Havoc had used the same service to get to the skyball stadium yesterday.

Insipid perked up and leaned over to give Rainbow a little side-hug; ooh, her perfume smelled nice up close. "Cool! I've never really spent time with Dash before. This'll be totally fun."

Curaçao smiled. "Well, alright then. Au revoir for now."

"It was nice meeting you Missus Dashie!" said Jellybean with a wave.

"You too, kiddo," Dash said with a wave back.

The happy little family took their leave, and Rainbow now found herself alone with Insipid, something she never thought would have ever happened in even her wildest imaginations. It was so… bizarre to think about. Okay, maybe not so bizarre; it wasn't any different than the few times she and Rarity spent time together, just the two of them… but those were few and far between enough that yeah, it made less sense in Insipid's case.

They just didn't have anything in common.

"They're a cute couple, yeah?" Insipid asked, sipping from her lemonade.

Rainbow blinked; she hadn't been expecting a question so soon, and definitely not that. "Huh?"

"Those two. A cute couple, right? Shroud and Curie?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah. I mean, sure, they're pretty great together from what little of it I've seen so far." Rainbow shrugged. "But I don't usually judge other couples unless it's like, super obvious that it's an unhealthy relationship, and I've… never actually seen anything like that, to be honest. But that's just how things are back home, I guess."

"Ah. Yeah, I guess that was kind of how Rarity described things where you're from. At least as far as, like, actual marriages and junk." Insipid shook her head sadly. "Rarity never talked very highly of her own relationships."

"I don't really involve myself much in her love-life, to be honest," Rainbow scoffed. "She's got specific tastes or whatever, and her standards are just way too high. Nopony's that perfect."

"Hmm." Insipid shrugged and took a bite of one of the little sandwiches, cream cheese and cucumber it looked like. "I'm happy for my sister. Y'know, when we were first born and junk, I really looked up to Curie. I mean, I still do, for sure, but like, I also look up to Rarity a lot. Cha. They're both so pretty and smart and funny and just… perfect."

"Hey, I getcha, everypony's gotta have a role model. I've looked up to Captain Spitfire since I was in middle school."

"Oh yeah, you never finished your story earlier, about your flying," Insipid said with a slight smirk. "So like, you fly au naturel, I get it. That means you fly naked and junk, right?"

Rainbow snorted into her lemonade, then pulled back and laughed. "Ha ha ha, no, nothing like that. We might not have the whole nudity taboo you guys have around here, but the Wonderbolts still fly with flight suits like this." She tugged at the fabric of her suit gently. "It's aerodynamic, weather and wind-resistant, not to mention they look cool as all heck."

"And you look amazing in it, by the way," Insipid said with a confident nod, lifting her glass just a little.

"Huh?"

"It really brings out your muscle tone and junk, duh. Is that thing skin-tight?"

Rainbow tugged the fabric again. "Not quite, no, not if it fits right. It needs a little bit of give so that it doesn't cut off circulation in the wings."

"Makes sense. And like, it probably breathes really well too, right?"

"Oh sure, it keeps out the elements but it's not suffocating. I still sweat up a storm in this sucker when I'm really getting a workout going, but it could be a lot worse."

"Hoof-wash only?"

Rainbow tilted her head. "Uh, yeah, it is."

Insipid nodded sagely. "If you want, you can, like, leave that here and I'll loan you something for the night. Come pick it up tomorrow and junk; I'll have it washed by then."

Rainbow blinked. "Are… did you just offer to wash my clothes?"

"Psh, no. I offered to have my housekeeper wash your clothes. Duh." Insipid rolled her eyes and playfully slapped Dash's chest. "Don't be a dummy, dummy."

"But… why?"

"Because I know you're not gonna do it yourself and like, I don't want you putting it back on when it's dirty and junk. Talk about a crime against fashion; sweaty, smelly clothes are a huge no-no. Rarity would totally do the same, right?"

Rainbow scratched her head. "Well, yeah, she would, but—"

"But but but, no 'but's! If you, like, don't want me to or whatever, fine, but I'm offering all the same. Cha."

Rainbow shrugged. "Well, sure, why not? It won't hurt to get it cleaned if you're offering, 'cause you're right, I wasn't gonna wash it myself until we all got home. Wonderbolts HQ has staff members that take care of that kind of stuff."

"Good. So! You don't fly naked, got it."

"Well, I do unless I'm doing a flight routine. We're naked all the time back home. Rarity told you that, right?"

"Ah, that's right. I totally forgot all about that." Insipid's eyes briefly flicked up and down Rainbow's form, then she nodded coolly as the conversation got back on topic. "What's flying for a stunt team like? Is it anything like skyball? 'Cause I know that you and Havoc, like, used to play skyball together and junk."

"It's kind of hard to explain to a unicorn," Rainbow said, scratching her cheek. "Sorry."

"Okay, that's fair. I mean, you can give it a try if you'd like though. Maybe you're better at explaining it than what I'm used to hearing."

"'Used to hearing'?"

"Oh! Well, I've dated a couple of skyball players before and I totally asked them what it's like playing skyball. They didn't really give me a lot of, like, details, or whatever, so I'm still not exactly sure what it's like and junk, but I've always wanted to know." She tilted her head back and forth. "Okay, maybe not, like, skyball necessarily. Just flying in general, really."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "You wanna know what it's like to fly?"

"Yeah! From somepony who's, like, a professional and junk. 'Cause I mean, I could ask Gray or Havoc or whatever, but Gray doesn't fly too much and Havoc's too busy. I don't really have many pegasus friends that do a lot of flying—the wind ruins make-up, duh—and the few pegasus coltfriends I've had aren't very…" She paused to think a moment. "Forthcoming."

Rainbow blinked; she'd heard the other mare talk years ago and even a bit today, and had always assumed she was just some airhead with a nice butt that followed along with Rarity's fashion dreams because it was the only thing she liked enough to have any brains in. She regretted thinking that way after the fact; it wasn't nice to think of any pony like that.

But now, Insipid was sounding… well, not smart—she was no Twilight Sparkle—but certainly smarter. It was impressive, actually. Rarity would get a kick out of it when they met up again, whenever that would be.

"Okay, I guess I can give it a shot," Rainbow said with a shrug. "To be honest, Pinkie used to ask me the same thing back when we first met, before we started dating. And after we started dating, too. It was a lot easier to just, y'know, show her, let her experience it herself."

Insipid's eyes widened. "Oooh, that sounds cool. Aww, but I couldn't ask you to do that for me."

"Right, because of the sandstorm."

Insipid tilted her head. "Well, yeah… uh-duh, of course that makes a difference. But I was, like, referring to the fact that it sounds pretty intimate, flying around with another pony like that. Only something you'd do with your special somepony."

"I mean… not always. Sometimes you gotta fly a friend somewhere they need to be in a hurry when they can't walk, or whatever. Havoc carried Twilight half-way across the city to help us get help for Pinkie last time we were here, but it's not like they're intimate. That I know of, anyway." A grin came to her lips. "Heh. That would be a weird couple."

Insipid nodded sagely. "Right, right, okay, makes sense. So, like, it wouldn't be weird if I asked you?"

"Well… no, not really. As long as you don't make it weird. 'Cause it can be pretty intimate depending on how I hold you and stuff. There're lots of… guidelines, I guess, about how stuff like that works. It's not something pegasi just do casually."

"Aha, I get it. Oh well." Insipid shrugged and returned to sipping her lemonade. "Maybe when the sandstorm clears up we can talk about it?"

"Uh, sure, I guess. You really wanna know what flying feels like that bad?"

"For. Sure. I imagine it's, like, the same for you wanting to know what it's like to use magic and junk?"

Rainbow tilted her head. "Y'know, I've never actually given it much thought. Magic doesn't really interest me like that. But I guess I can see why a unicorn or earth pony would want to fly. Flying is pretty rad."

"Super rad. Totally." Insipid sipped her lemonade again, after making a pointed display of refilling her glass, like it was a sign that the conversation was about to shift. "So like, you and Pinkie are married and stuff now? That's so cool. I'm super happy for you; I could tell that you two had something, like, special and junk. Cha."

"Oh, well thank you." Rainbow chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, it was a long time coming, especially after dating her for so long. Rarity kept poking me about when I was gonna pop the question for like two years before I finally did."

Insipid shook her head. "Tsk tsk, I'm gonna have to talk with Rarity if she was pestering you about it. That's super not-cool. There's no need to rush somepony into that kind of stuff. You're, like, ready when you're ready."

"Oh hey, don't worry about it. She was really subtle about it; I didn't even notice she was doing it until after Pinkie and I got hitched and Rarity said she'd been doing it. Ooh, maybe it was like subliminal messages?"

"Oh. Well that's okay then, subtle hints are totally legit." Insipid rolled her eyes. "Unless they're not quite subtle enough. Then they're major unfresh."

"Huh?"

Insipid sipped her lemonade again. "Oh my stars, you think two years is bad? Try, like, six. And try six years when you, like, know you're being pestered about it and junk. Ugh. Gag me with a spoon."

"Huh?" Rainbow was lost, but she kind of understood. Maybe. "Are you saying folks are giving you grief about not getting married to your coltfriend?"

"Psh, I wish."

"Aaand, I'm lost again. Wuh?"

Insipid set her glass down and put her hooves together. "If I was getting bugged to, like, tie the knot with my coltfriend, I'd be a little more okay with it, or whatever. But like, I don't have a coltfriend for anypony to bug me about like that. So instead, they always bug me about the fact that I don't have a steady coltfriend."

Rainbow couldn't help herself. "Wow. You and Rarity really do have a lot in common. I think she's been in the same boat for a lot longer than six years, though." She tapped her chin in thought. "Shoot, Prince Blueblood was… wow, ten years ago? So it's been at least that long."

Insipid frowned. "Aww… poor Rarity, still? Well, I'm sure she'll find somepony who treats her like a queen eventually. But she doesn't have the same problem that I do, 'cause like, her standards are so high and junk that, like, I think she just sets herself up to fail, or whatever."

"That's… actually pretty insightful," Rainbow snickered; Insipid had summed up Rarity's entire relationship history with one sentence. Amazing. "What's your problem, then? Just can't find the right dude or something?"

"No! Urgh! It's so frustrating," Insipid huffed, pouting like a filly half her age. "It's not fair. I'm doing everything right, but nothing seems to work. None of them really 'click', y'know? It doesn't matter if we have, like, the same interests and get along and all that, and even when the sex is good it's just not enough. Velvet said that that would be enough! But it's not!"

Rainbow resisted the urge to roll her eyes; she hated talking about relationships most of the time—hearing Rarity whine about her latest failure always made her space out—and she'd only let it get this far because she honestly couldn't think of anything else to talk to Insipid about.

But now it was getting interesting. She supposed she shouldn't have assumed that Insipid wasn't sexually active, but it was still weird hearing confirmation of it. Normally even then she wouldn't be interested, but, well, Insipid wasn't bad to look at and hearing her talk about her sex life might be kind of fun.

"When you say they don't 'click', what do you mean?" Rainbow asked, leaning back in her seat and grabbing her lemonade; she figured she should get comfortable for this. Too bad there wasn't any popcorn.

"It's like, if we were different pieces of a puzzle, we're just not, like, the pieces that snap together to help make the big picture and junk," Insipid said; the statement was surprisingly clear and philosophical. "I've dated musicians, actors, producers, directors, athletes, photographers, and more! You name it, I've tried dating it. Cha.

"All of them were stallions with successful careers, bright futures, big pocketbooks, and good connections, just like I'm supposed to be looking for. A few of them were fun to be around and junk, a lot of them were pretty good kissers, and some of them were even totally amazing lovers. But even if they were allll of those things… it just didn't 'click'. There was always something… I dunno, missing. Or whatever."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. There was something about this that seemed just a little off, because if Insipid was right about it then what was the problem? She herself had "clicked" with a few mares over the years before meeting Pinkie, and they only broke it off because Rainbow didn't want to settle down; she was too fast to stay put. Pinkie had fought tooth and nail to keep Dash tied down… uh, literally at one point.

Then, the gears popped into place and she figured out what the commonality in everything was. "Insipid, here's a question for you," she said, setting her glass down so that Insipid knew she was being serious. "All of the ponies you dated were stallions, right?"

Insipid tilted her head. "Yeah, why? They're supposed to be. That's what mares are supposed to do in the industry: attach themselves to a big-name stallion and form, like, a power couple. It happens all the time." She shrugged. "I mean, they say that the fashion industry is 'open-minded', but the general public definitely isn't yet."

"So you've never dated a mare?"

"Nooo? I'm at the point in my career—have been for a while—that I'm supposed to be trying to, like, find a stallion to marry. Foals are optional of course, but they draw a lot of publicity and junk. To be honest, I'm not really okay with that part; I can't imagine bringing a foal into the world to use as, like, a publicity stunt. That sounds… ech, slimy."

"Word. I just can't help but notice that you're not clicking with any of these stallions, even though you say they're all perfect and stuff. And you never said if you found any of them attractive, either."

"Huh? I didn't?"

"Nope."

Insipid scratched her cheek. "Huh. Well, I mean, I did. Find them attractive, I mean. Everypony else said they were attractive, so that means they were. Right? I mean, my standards aren't like Rarity's or whatever, but like, I know what's considered 'hot' in the industry, duh."

"Oh sure sure, but were you attracted to them?"

Insipid blinked. "They were all attractive—"

"That's not what I asked."

"I… I mean… yes? No? Maybe? I don't know! Everypony said they were hot! A lot of them were in, like, magazines and junk, pretty high up there in the yearly Sexiest Stallion Alive polls and everything! I didn't date anypony that wasn't attractive."

"You keep in touch with any of 'em?"

"I mean, yeah? A couple of 'em here and there are still friends with me. We just decided it worked out that way; they're great friends and I love 'em, but, y'know, not like I wanted to or they wanted."

Rainbow shook her head. "And you don't know if you found them attractive or if you were attracted to them, right?"

"I… guess not? I don't know, this is…" Insipid shook her head and pouted again, looking a little miffed. "What's your point, Rainbow?"

Rainbow steeled herself; this was the kicker question that would determine if she was right… maybe. It wouldn't necessarily prove anything, but there was a good chance it would. There was a saying back home, originally coined by Ace Tailwind, one of the greatest skyball players who'd ever played the game: "You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take."

Words to live by.

"Do you find me attractive?" Rainbow asked, leaning back and gesturing at herself.

Insipid raised an eyebrow and briefly eyed Rainbow up and down; not too briefly, there was some lingering, but not enough to be rude. "I mean, yeah? You've got a great muscle tone and some killer legs. Pinkie nabbed herself a catch."

Okay, this was good, this was putting things on the right path. Rainbow was pretty sure that she was barking up the right tree at this point, but she needed to be sure. "How about any of the other mares you know? Do you find any of them attractive?"

Insipid tilted her head. "I mean, duh. I work in fashion, honey. All of the mares are attractive—"

"I mean, do any of them… do anything for you?"

Insipid went to speak, then paused and seemed to actually consider that for a moment. Her eyes widened and she nodded briefly. "Now that you mention it, I mean, I've always thought Ivory was super hot."

"Who's Ivory?"

"Ivory Charm. Hang on, I've got an old poster of hers from when she was working up here. I got it autographed and everything on a fashion tour a few years ago. Cha."

Insipid left the table and went down the hallway into one of the other rooms, then returned with a poster—framed!—of the mare in question.

Ivory was a white unicorn mare, tall with a thin figure, and with a long pink mane and tail that just flowed all around her. She reminded Rainbow of somepony… a friend of Rarity's. Fleur something? In the poster she was wearing a skin-tight black ensemble and holding… a leash? That was attached to a grinning stallion? Who she was stepping on? What kind of poster was—

Oh, it was an ad for perfume. Of course it was.

"She was a supermodel up here for years, left a little while before I was born, or whatever, and moved down to Hope's Point with her husband," Insipid explained. "She works as a promoter and producer nowadays; she doesn't have the energy to model all the time anymore, and she self-admitted she doesn't have the eyes for, like, design work."

Insipid then let out a happy sigh and ran her hoof along the frame. "I based my entire career off of hers. Hence the husband thing; everypony says she only, like, really started making waves after getting married to Virtuoso."

"And you think she's hot?" Rainbow asked, openly gawking at the poster. This was the sort of poster she'd have had in her room back in high school, right next to or over her bed. Maybe not exactly that kind of poster but close enough.

Insipid nodded firmly. "Oh, for sure. She's the hottest pony in the whole world. I mean, everypony else says that too, so it's not like it's just me. I mean, you look at her and tell me she's not smoking hot. You can't! If you do, you're a liar."

Rainbow tapped her hooves together. "No, she's smoking hot for sure. But you do think she's hot? Like, you do, you're not just saying that 'cause other ponies are telling you to, right? And I don't mean like you just think she is hot, I mean, does she make you feel a bit, y'know, tingly?"

Insipid leaned back in thought, then her eyes went wide and she looked at the ground. "Oh wow, uh… yeah, I do. I remember when I first met her and everything, I was super nervous and my heart was racing in my chest and everything. I thought it was just nerves 'cause I was meeting my idol, not because I was attracted to her. She was even pregnant at the time and she was still gorgeous."

"I mean, I think that pretty much settles it," Rainbow said with a confident grin.

"What does? Settles what?"

Rainbow sighed and set her hoof on Insipid's shoulder. "Insipid, I know how you feel. I do. I used to think there was something wrong with me too, way way back when I was younger. Sure, it was just middle school, but colts just weren't doing anything for me. Fillies, though, they got my attention."

"Wait…" Insipid's eyes widened. "You think… you think I'm gay? I can't be gay, Dash, I've only ever been with stallions before!"

"I'm not gonna outright say it. But I mean, unless the perfect stallion just hasn't come along in six years of trying, and unless you're lying about what you said about me and Ivory, then yeah, I think you might like mares, not stallions. Just because that's all you had before doesn't mean it was the right path." Rainbow shrugged. "I'm kind of an authority on the subject."

Insipid held her head in her hooves. "Oh my stars. This… this changes everything. How am I, like, gonna find a cute mare to date? I don't even know what to look for in a mare. I spent years perfecting my techniques for finding a stallion. Everything from what to say to get them interested, to what to look for in a partner, to what to do in the bedroom! I can't start fresh just like that! Cha!"

"It's not that hard, really. Just look for the same things you looked for before in a stallion and look for those things in a mare. Like if they're successful and have money or whatever, since you said that was a big deal. Find a mare like that that you like, and you're off to a good start. I'm sure there're lots of 'em in the modeling world, yeah?"

Insipid rubbed her chin and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I don't suppose it would hurt to… experiment a little. Lace and Lapel did say the industry is open-minded, so like, if you're wrong or whatever, I guess we can like, spin it as… as a phase."

"Being gay isn't a phase—" Rainbow started.

Insipid immediately waved her hooves in front of her face. "Sorry! Sorry! Wrong word, that's… I didn't mean anything. I just mean that if you're wrong and I'm not gay, I can still, like, not worry about hurting my career with this."

Rainbow grunted and crossed her hooves over her chest. "And if I am right?"

"Then… then I guess that's the new me, right? The real me? I can redefine my image." Insipid nodded confidently. "Definitely. I'm still young and hot and successful. It's not unheard of in the industry to rebrand yourself. Not as common for it to stick, but hey, that's fashion for you. Trends and junk, go figure."

"Well, good. I think. Sorry if I flipped your world upside down for a bit there, but I was just listening to ya and everything sounded a little off, y'know? I mean, I'll be honest, I'm not saying you are for sure. Heck, you might just be bi and didn't realize it 'cause you were focused on what you thought was the right thing to do."

Insipid nodded. "Yeah, I guess when you look at it that way it all makes sense. Shoot, I wish I'd have known sooner. Thanks for, like, the insight, or whatever."

"Don't mention it."

Rainbow then gulped; she hadn't been planning on asking this or even getting this far, but when Insipid had said she found her attractive, well, that just opened up the window, just a crack, a crack big enough to fit through. Pinkie would probably want to shake Rainbow's hoof if this worked. And as the saying went, you missed one hundred percent of the shots you didn't take.

"And, uh… y'know, if you want any tips or anything, you can always come to me and Pinkie for help," she suggested, leaning back just a little and trying to look as casual as possible.

Insipid raised an eyebrow. "'Tips'?"

"Yeah. Y'know. Tips."

Insipid paused, then her eyes widened and she nodded in understanding. "Ah. You mean sex tips." She tapped her chin. "You have a point, I've never really been with a mare in the bedroom before. Velvet helped me learn what to do to please a stallion, and she's an expert in that field, sooo… since you and Pinkie would know your stuff…"

Rainbow smirked and scuffed her hoof on her chest. "Yeah, you could say that. I'd have to check with Pinkie first, but I just know that she'll be more than fine with helping you out—"

"Deal."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"Deal." Insipid stood up, nodding firmly as she did so. "Head back to the tower and talk it over with Pinkie, then let me know if we're on for tonight; we should strike while the iron's hot, or whatever. If we are, you two will meet me here for dinner first, because of course, so bring an appetite. Not a big one; it'll be lighter fare. You like strawberries? Of course you do. Cha. We'll work out the details from there. Deal?"

Rainbow blinked, stunned. "Wow, you're serious. Y-yeah, it's a deal. I wasn't expecting—"

"I'm not a vulnerable little prude, honey, so if you were expecting me to be all hesitant and meek and junk, or whatever it is you were expecting, well… surprise." Insipid turned and started for the hallway, then gestured towards the front door. "Pinkie's waiting, Dashie. Don't keep me waiting."

As Insipid sashayed away and showed off exactly why she was such an outrageously popular model, Rainbow made a beeline for the door faster than she'd ever moved outside of a Sonic Rainboom.

*****

Curaçao arrived at the sixty-third floor of Pandora Tower about an hour after she'd originally received the phone call summoning her, which meant that she'd made pretty good time getting here; she's shifted her dress back into her formalwear—a black jacket over a black blouse and skirt—so that she could conduct proper business with her employees.

The ponies that worked on this floor were the best forensics analysts in the field, sniped from prior careers with the CIA or NPPD to work here at Pandora Tower; some of them were still on staff from when Silvertongue had hired them, others had left and been replaced since by Curaçao using her father's exacting standards.

The lead scientist on the team in question today greeted her as soon as she got off the elevator. Doctor Bunsen Burner had been on the team since Silvertongue was around, a green-coated unicorn stallion whose hairline had receded years ago; he'd resorted to shaving it all off and didn't bother with a toupée, and since he was always in a long lab coat nopony knew what color his tail was. He also wore a large pair of glasses that were so blurry that nopony could see his eyes behind him, almost cartoonishly so.

"Missus Curaçao, welcome to the labs," he greeted with a pleasantly higher-pitched tone. "I don't think that you've ever visited us formally, have you?"

Curaçao shook her head. "Non, this is my first time making a trip to your floor in person. Forgive me if this seems rude, Doctor Burner, but I don't have time for formalities. I want to see your findings before Miss Dawn requests your nightly status report."

He nodded in understanding; Silvertongue himself would have been just as politely dismissive and so he'd be used to it. "Of course, of course. I think you'll find that it was worth the rush over here, mmhmm. Follow me, please."

She followed along behind him to one of the analysis labs, which was filled with all sorts of tools and devices that Curaçao was faintly familiar with but was no expert on. Their functions were unimportant; what was important was the object resting on the table in the center of the room: an oddly-shaped dagger made of an obsidian-like material with a common metal hilt.

The same dagger had been used in an attempt to murder Red Velvet, her sister, only a couple of weeks ago, and had been here in the labs ever since under intense scrutiny for every possible detail that could be discovered about it. Until today, nothing of note had come across Curaçao's desk; the dagger's material was unknown to the analysts, which was a problem, and finding out more information had proven difficult.

"I must apologize for the delays in finding results worth reporting," Doctor Burner said as he gestured for Curaçao to stand opposite him at the table. "This material, as you suggested, is more than just magic-resistant. It is not merely impervious to magic, either, but is more of a magical… vampire, to use a term that my staff has coined."

"A magical 'vampire'?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yes, oh yes indeed. It's quite fascinating. Your report mentioned that when Director Underhoof's magical field interacted with the blade of the dagger, she seemed incapable of using her magic for several minutes. We replicated the results with our own staff, and proved a hypothesis: direct contact magnifies the effect, and elongated exposure magnifies it further."

Curaçao hummed into her hoof. "So were the blade to touch the horn of a unicorn, it would disable their magic for longer than a few minutes. How long?"

"A single second of contact disables the subject's magic for roughly thirty minutes, and it increases at a steadily-growing rate for every additional second. Two seconds lasts longer than an hour and four seconds last nearly five hours, if you'll forgive the inexact figures. Rough estimates are acceptable for proof-of-concept, I feel, as these are assuming an average-strength unicorn. There is room for variance."

"Oui, agreed. Is there a method of preventing this 'vampire' effect, of shielding a unicorn from having their magic drained?"

Burner shook his head. "Aside from avoiding either direct contact or even contact with one's magical field, no. The material is positively tenacious. Luckily, a material as thin as, say, a sheet of paper will suffice in blocking its effect, so long as it does not penetrate the defensive layer."

"That is a relief, then. Armor would serve a purpose in that regard."

"Indeed it would." He gestured at some of the equipment nearby. "However, ensure that the armor is entirely mundane and uses no technomagic devices, such as the NPAF's standard body armor, which has all multitudes of monitoring and temperature-regulating functions installed."

"This material affects technomagic?" Curaçao asked, legitimately surprised.

"Catastrophically so, yes. A unicorn regains their magic over time, you see, much as any pony recovers their strength if given a moment's rest." Burner shook his head. "A technomagic device runs on battery power, in a manner of speaking; the material saps the battery's 'juice' at the same rate that it would with regular magic or direct contact, whichever the case may be."

"Ah, a shame. That was one of the defenses I had hoped to use." Her eyes widened. "Oh my… what would happen if this material came into contact with the city's power grid?"

Burner took a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know if it's potent enough to cause a total blackout, but it would certainly have a devastating effect. Backup generators would come online, of course, and those run on mundane methods such as geothermal power, but there's no telling how far the effect could reach. Would it also sap the technomagic energy from all devices connected to the grid?"

He pointed specifically at the machines in the room. "It does not seem to go the other way around. These devices were shorted out by the material during examination, but it had no effect on the tower's power grid or that of the city beyond, so… perhaps that is one relief, hmm?"

"Just one, so far. All very crucial traits of the material to know for combatting it." Curaçao sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "And have we determined exactly what the material is? Where does it come from?"

Bunsen's mouth curled in a curious grin. "That, Missus Curaçao, is the most interesting thing to date. The 'where' is of little consequence and was easy to determine: the Redblade Mountains. Traces of volcanic ash were found at the microscopic level. Likely it comes from the central regions as the concentration of carbon in the particles we found was quite high."

"Then I at least know where to search for whomever crafted this weapon," Curaçao said with a firm nod. "A shame that we have to wait for the sandstorm to clear. What else?"

"Oh ho ho, wait until you hear this. Our team found traces of DNA in the material."

Curaçao frowned. "Doctor, this weapon was used to stab my sister. Of course it has DNA on it—"

"Ah ah, we knew that, naturally. We accounted for Miss Velvet's DNA being present as well as that of the assailant who wielded the weapon, and were able to remove them from the pool. There are also faint traces of other potential contacts, but the strands were too deteriorated to even hope for a match."

"Then what are you getting at?"

"The DNA we found, Missus Curaçao… it wasn't pony DNA. At least not any pony I've ever encountered before."

"Quoi? Then what? A zebra? Why would a zebra be so far north… and in the Redblade Mountains? Non, that makes no sense."

"Indeed, and that's just it: it's not a zebra either. Zebras and ponies have similarities in their DNA structures, but we are distant enough from each other compared to any common ancestor that we may have had that it is easy to tell the difference. Yet, oddly close enough to allow cross-breeding."

"So I have heard. Get to the point."

Burner grinned wide. "The DNA we found was not that of a pony, but was very similar. According to estimates and analytics of the DNA strand similarities to pony DNA, it suggests a common ancestor no more than a thousand years ago, potentially less. But it is not pony DNA, that much is an absolute certainty."

Curaçao stared wide-eyed at the dagger, then at Burner. "Then what is this material, Doctor?"

Doctor Burner used his hooves and mundane tools to forcibly pry the blade of the dagger off of the metal hilt; it had been done before and replaced, obviously, as there seemed to be very little effort involved. Burner then gestured at the base of the blade, which extended downwards into where the hilt would have been, but only just barely.

"The DNA strands were in higher concentration at the base," he said. "This suggests that the material was a part of another creature and was forcibly removed, and most likely violently. Theories range from the talon or claw of some sort of animal, but my theory is that this… is a horn. There are fragments of bone here; skull fragments."

Curaçao eyed the material carefully, eyes wide with wonder and confusion. "A horn from what, Doctor?"

He shook his head. "I do not know, Missus Curaçao, but if my theory is correct… well, let us just say that whoever or whatever this horn belonged to did not give it up willingly. Removing the horn of a unicorn in such a way is fatal, without question. Considering the blade's size and shape, the horn possibly belongs to an adult pony-sized creature… so I do not imagine it is still alive."

"No… I imagine not." Curaçao gave Doctor Burner a curt nod. "Deliver the report to Miss Dawn at the usual time, Doctor. In the meantime, I have work to do."

"Might I ask what work, Missus Curaçao?"

She started out of the room, stopping only to turn and address his question. "Finding the sick bastards responsible for this. Adieu."

Chapter Nine: Rouse

Rarity wasn't really sure what all the hubbub was about, but Lockwood had made it sound like a pretty big deal that she and Fluttershy came with him this morning.

They ventured deep into a part of the royal palace that she had never been to before, beyond a section that she'd been told was a restricted area. The guards at the front had always been polite about directing her away, but she'd still been rather curious about what was down there. Twilight kept quite a few interesting things in the restricted areas at home, so it stood that there would be some down here as well.

"It all only happened just an hour or so ago," Lockwood explained as he and Crossfire led them down more stairs; these at least had a gentle slope and were not uncomfortable to descend. "I'd go into it more, but until we get there I can't say much. I hope you guys understand."

"Of course, dear, there's no trouble at all," Rarity replied with a smile. "Sometimes things need to be kept a little hush-hush, and whatever it is I'm certain that it must be important. I don't understand what it has to do with us with so little information, but I trust that you wouldn't waste our time."

"Lorekeeper Gilderoy suggested that it might be beneficial for all parties involved if you were brought into the fold. It has a lot to do with coincidental timings and a theory that maybe we have the means to send you home already." With a smirk, he noted, "Not that we're in a hurry to get rid of you, of course. And we still have to wait for the others to get here."

"We understand," Fluttershy said. "Thank you for keeping us in the loop. It's nice to know you're still looking out for us."

He grinned and nodded. "As always."

As they descended the stairs further, the group came across the first ponies that Rarity had seen yet past the restricted zone.

Well, that was inaccurate. One was a pony, a pegasus stallion by the looks of it, though Rarity couldn't tell much more because of his body armor and helmet. She could see his blue eyes in the opening of his visor, though. He had a long-barreled rifle slung over his back adorned with a scope; she'd come to learn what a "gun" was and what one could do, and his gun looked particularly menacing.

The other was, to Rarity's surprise, a zebra mare. Rarity had never encountered any zebras at all outside of Zecora—they lived in a remote location back home and didn't travel much—but she had heard that there was a rather large nation of them here in this world, far, far down south. She'd also heard that it was exceedingly rare for one to venture north of their homeland, even when constraining themselves just to the southern continent.

The mare was pretty by pony standards, but Rarity didn't know if that translated to zebra standards. She wore light, white robes and kept her mane and tail in neat, braided locks; she had the same coloring of any zebra, of course, with a lovely arrangement of stripes along her back and legs. She also, curiously, had a sword strapped to her back that had a number of odd markings along the blade; it was the first weapon she'd seen that looked like it would belong at home… well, at home. How odd.

To Rarity's further curiosity, the two appeared to be engaged not just in a friendly conversation, but were flirting, and quite well at that. Rarity recognized the smoldering look in the stallion's eyes anywhere, and the way the zebra mare laughed and fiddled with her mane, and the stances they were in and how far apart they were, and how his hoof ran along her neck.

Lockwood approached the pair and cleared his throat to get their attention. He addressed the stallion first: "Commander Pinpoint, tsk tsk. Fraternizing on duty, are we?" Though his words were serious, Rarity could hear the distinct lack thereof in Lockwood's tone, and the smirk on his face could put anypony at ease.

The pegasus, Pinpoint, stood at attention and saluted—as did the zebra mare—before he used his wings to make several rapid gesticulations. Pegasus wing language, if Rarity had to guess; she didn't know the language—hard to do without wings, obviously—so she had no idea what was being communicated here.

Lockwood, though, repeated the other stallion's words aloud for everypony to understand: "Oh, you're off duty for an hour? Her Majesty relieved you?" He smiled and patted Pinpoint's shoulder. "Well, carry on then, soldier." He then gave a friendly nod to the zebra mare. "Enjoy him while you can, Zyra. Time flies and all that."

"Yes, Sire," the mare, Zyra, said with a rather formal nod. "Thank you. I will not keep him from his duties." She glanced at the other company that had come along with Lockwood and gave a respectful nod to both Fluttershy and Rarity and a salute to Crossfire, then returned her attention to Pinpoint, who likewise did the same for her.

As Rarity followed along after Lockwood again further down the stairs, she couldn't help but notice and wonder if any zebras of this world rhymed as Zecora did. It wasn't a uniquely zebra trait back home—as far as Rarity knew, Zecora was the only one who did it—and it didn't seem to be one in this world either, if this Zyra mare was any indication. Still, food for thought.

At the very bottom of the stairs, at the end of a long hallway, there was a large door. Gadget was waiting outside of said door and waved the group over as they arrived, then opened it up, showed them inside, and returned to her post; Crossfire stayed behind with her. Rarity was growing more excited by the moment, more excited with every step; whatever was hidden away in this chamber must have surely been an incredible discovery.

The room was occupied by the familiar faces of Queen Blackburn, Gray Skies, and Lorekeeper Gilderoy, the gryphon, the latter of whom Rarity hadn't seen since she'd first arrived in this world again, come to think of it. Fluttershy had seen him once or twice because she spent more time here in the palace than Rarity did, but that was about it. Neither of them knew if he had guest quarters like they did. It was peculiar.

More importantly, though, was somepony completely new, and this somepony was likely the reason this little gathering had been called. Rarity was immediately on edge for a number of reasons, the first being that this new face belonged to an alicorn. Normally that wouldn't bother Rarity one bit, but she knew of the reputation of alicorns in this world and that one being physically present was a fairly significant event.

She—the alicorn was female—was tall, roughly as tall as Celestia herself, her body thin and elegant. Her coat was a ghastly color, not quite purple but not quite black, and shimmered with luster. Her mane and tail gleamed a brilliant, metallic silver, their shape and rigidity resembling blades. She was nude, making it easy to see that her body's tone was incredibly lithe, leanly muscled and physically intimidating. Her long, sharp horn was longer than any unicorn's, and her great, long wings were of a greater wingspan than any pegasus.

It had been seven years, but Rarity still remembered that harrowing experience on the top of Pandora Tower all those years ago. She still remembered when Lord Silvertongue performed a ritual to give a physical form to Nihila, the evil alicorn whom he'd been falsely serving for centuries; she remembered Nihila being completely destroyed as well. She of course still remembered what Nihila looked like—alicorns tended to stand out in one's mind—and so that was her second, and arguably more important, concern.

This was Nihila, somehow given form again.

Fluttershy reacted before Rarity did, stumbling backwards and landing on her rear in surprise. "Wh-what's going on?" she asked as she scrambled back. "Why is Nihila here?" Well, Rarity was relieved that Fluttershy remembered everything as vividly as she herself did.

Lockwood approached Fluttershy, a calm smile on his face as he offered to help her up. "Easy now, Fluttershy, you don't have to be afraid. It's not what you think." He gestured towards the alicorn mare. "She isn't Nihila. Trust me, we've had lots of different sources confirming that to be the case."

Rarity looked between Lockwood and the alicorn mare, who was watching the display with a curious tilt to her head, as if… not amused, exactly, but interested nonetheless. "I think that you had best explain what's going on, darling," she said as she stepped over to aid him in helping Fluttershy up. "The last time we saw this mare she was very much attempting some truly dreadful actions against me and my friends."

"More ponies who know of this 'Nihila', most curious," the mare said, her tone… rather pleasant and smooth. That, at least, was different from what Rarity remembered. "Fear not, little ones. Your King speaks true; I am not this creature, this Nihila, whom you seem to fear so strongly. Your reaction to her presence is far more potent than that of others I have met thus far."

"That's because they actually met her, like I did," said Gray with a nod. "But they had every reason to be afraid of her. She was threatening to take over their minds and use them as weapons against Harmonia. It was a lot more than what they're used to."

The alicorn gave a look to Gray, as if the words were truly shocking. "Indeed? She would make war with my sister with… these ponies? How unusual. What significance do they have that others such as yourself do not? What makes them ideal for such a task?"

"If you were really Nihila, you would know the answer to that," Rarity stated, taking a bold step forward. "But you don't, do you? Because it's true: you really aren't her. But if that's the case, then who are you? I was under the impression that the only alicorns in this world were Harmonia and Nihila, and now Harmonia and Silvertongue. Just the two; not three."

"Though it's not as though we're not used to the numbers going up," Fluttershy quietly noted.

"It is a long tale, my little pony. One which still vexes me greatly, for there are gaps in my memories that I cannot explain." The alicorn shook her head, upset by her own statement. "But first, allow me to further assuage your fears. It is true, I am not this 'Nihila' whom so many refer to with dread and hatred. I am Pandemonia, the Alicorn of the Dark and the Moons, Goddess of Adversity."

Rarity blinked; that was a fairly impressive set of titles. The alicorns of this world certainly put themselves on another level even compared to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Still, she would not dare be impolite, so she gave a reverent bow to Pandemonia—she saw out of the corner of her eye that Fluttershy was doing the same—and introduced herself and her friend, as was proper.

"There is no need for such displays, Rarity, Fluttershy," Pandemonia said with a soft lilt to her voice. "In my current straits I cannot properly accept your worship and reverence. This physical form has both its limitations and its benefits, you see. Though I am still learning the latter…"

Rarity and Fluttershy shared a look to one another and rose upright; Rarity was actually growing rather concerned that so many ponies in positions of authority didn't want to be treated with the adulation their positions deserved. She wasn't sure if she could do the same were she a princess or a queen. What exactly did that say about her?

Pandemonia tilted her head again, studying the pair with more of that same curiosity from earlier and tapping her chin in the process; the act looked unpracticed, for she did so rather slowly, as though she had only just learned it.

"Hmm… I sense a most peculiar set of emotions within you two," she said. "You look upon me with a measure of awe, as all I have met thus far do, but there is something different about your feelings. A dullness to it, as though the gravity of my being does not… 'captivate' you? I believe that is an appropriate description of the sensation."

"You mean that we don't seem as impressed with you as the others?" Fluttershy asked for clarification.

"Yes, precisely. I take no offense, of course, merely note how curious that is." Pandemonia glanced over at Gilderoy, tilting her head again. "I have met Silvertongue, an alicorn like myself, one who communicates via his Warden for he lacks a physical form. Yet even he possessed a significant degree of wonder when he gazed upon me. Would you not agree, Lorekeeper? You know him best out of our present company."

Gray didn't seem miffed by that, but then she'd only known her father for a few weeks in truth, while Gilderoy… how long had he known Silvertongue?

Gilderoy's feathers ruffled. "Yes, I suppose I do, don't I? I will not claim to know him as well as you would hope, but he and I both are well acquainted with the nature of alicorns and of powerful magics. An expert in such matters as he is, and as I am, would naturally react in a particular manner in your presence. I could see it in his eye: his wonderment. Dulled, perhaps, because of his recent experiences, but still present."

"Indeed." Pandemonia turned back to Rarity and Fluttershy. "And yet I do not sense the same breathless wonderment within you two. Quite the curiosity. Again, I take no offense, but I would very much like to understand why this is the case. Does my form truly not inspire astonishment?"

Lockwood cleared his throat. "Well, the circumstances behind that are rather complex. We're supposed to be keeping that information pretty close to the vest, you see. A friend of ours, Winter Glow, probably wouldn't like us to just keep spreading the truth around like this. Oof, she's going to be so upset when she finds out…"

"However," Blackburn continued, "circumstances extreme, coincidences apparent, too convenient to dismiss. Potential connection of issues, potential solution regardless of connection. Winter will forgive us. Without her present, must come up with own hypotheses, own solutions." She shrugged. "Not our fault."

"What manner of 'coincidence' do you mean?" Pandemonia asked, glancing between Blackburn and the two mares that had drawn her curiosity; Rarity couldn't decide if she should be frightened or flattered.

"The nature of your reappearance in the physical world coincides too closely to… other recent events," Gilderoy said carefully. "I certainly consider it to be too close together to be a mere coincidence, though even if that is all this is, it still stands that they compound upon each other. The two situations may present solutions for the other's problems, in a sense."

Blackburn nodded at Rarity. "You would explain it best."

Rarity gave Pandemonia a small, nervous smile. "Ah. Well, you see… as to why we're not 'impressed', as it were, by your appearance, that would be because we're already quite accustomed to alicorns where we're from."

"They're all a pretty big part of our lives, actually," Fluttershy said with a grin and a nod. "They have been for many years now."

"Why, I've designed dresses for some of them, so I hardly find it odd at all to look upon you as you are now." Rarity tapped her chin and tilted her head. "In fact, now that the tension has cleared up some, I've been thinking about which colors would look best on you. Black would be a little on the nose, but it does go with everything."

Pandemonia's mouth curled into a little grin. "How amusing. Over the course of several conversations, there has never been a moment where anypony's words have left me quite so befuddled as I am now. I can sense the truth of your tale, the goodness in your hearts, but your words are strange."

"I suppose it would be best to just come right out and say it then, wouldn't it?" Rarity nodded confidently. "We're not from this world at all, but from another world, one quite different from this one but with some similarities here and there. Alicorns are leaders where we're from, not goddesses, though they do still possess a great deal of power."

"Another world, you say?" Pandemonia asked, eyes slightly widened. "Enlighten me as to how you have come to be here, and perhaps how this relates to Nihila and my sister Harmonia, for I sense that there is a connection here that has yet been unspoken."

So, Rarity and Fluttershy shared the tale of how they'd first come to this world seven years ago, of how they'd been discovered by Lord Silvertongue, and how he manipulated Nihila into giving him enough leeway to "use" them so that he was able to betray and destroy her, taking her power for himself. Gray assisted in the matter, even adding in details about the origin of herself and her sisters and how it pertained to all of this.

Following the much shorter tale of how they came to be here a second time, Rarity and Fluttershy listened as Pandemonia, with Gilderoy's assistance, explained her own story, or at least as much of it that anyone had been able to figure out thus far; Rarity and Fluttershy were the only ones who hadn't heard it yet.

And Rarity listened with rapt attention; this was all information that Twilight would find absolutely fascinating, but without her here Rarity knew that somepony had to try and figure out all the angles and details. It might as well be her.

Pandemonia had, apparently, been one of the alicorn goddesses that watched over this world and guided ponykind on the southern continent thousands of years ago; her sister, Harmonia, was the other. However, one day her Warden was summoned to the northern continent to negotiate with the minotaurs, who had been raiding pony villages and attacking their ships. After that, Pandemonia didn't remember anything… for over two thousand years, when she woke up here, in Hope's Point.

Gilderoy noted that something as of yet unexplained had caused Pandemonia to manifest in this physical body, and that from everything they'd come to understand, Nihila and Pandemonia were two separate entities. Nihila had somehow usurped Pandemonia's position—this was Gilderoy's theory at the moment—and perhaps imprisoned her so that she could conquer the world using Pandemonia's power.

How that had happened was anyone's guess, and it seemed that Silvertongue's efforts seven years ago had unknowingly freed Pandemonia.

But Nihila had not been destroyed, and was still operating out there… somewhere. How, again, none of them knew, nor did they have answers as to where she was or what, exactly, she was up to. But Silvertongue, with Golden Dawn as his instrument, would find and destroy her once and for all, as he'd sworn to do centuries ago.

Gilderoy, in the meantime, was to find out more about Pandemonia's past to try and return her to the Dreaming or at least find out how everything had come to pass, but details were scant; she was lost to history entirely, it seemed, even to the southerners.

"This is quite a twisting tale," Rarity mused as the conversation drew to a close. "I can see why you would think it all to be connected to us; the timing is rather close, isn't it? We reappeared in this world a week ago, and a week or so before that Pandemonia reappeared after thousands of years imprisoned under Nihila's will?"

"That was my thought, yes," Gilderoy said, stroking his beard. "It could certainly still be entirely coincidental, but from how you described your friend Twilight's spell, or more specifically how she had been testing it for weeks before the attempt that resulted in your traveling here, it is remarkably close to when I first discovered the traces of magic that led me to Pandemonia."

"So it could be a coincidence or it could not, but in either case we think that you two might be able to help each other," Lockwood said with a smile. "Somehow, anyway. We're not sure what to do about it until the sandstorm clears up and we can get Twilight and Winter involved in all of this. Twilight's the magic expert who made that spell, and Winter knows about all the alternate world stuff. She still hasn't even met Pandemonia yet, come to think of it."

"Why now, though?" asked Fluttershy, tapping her hooves together.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you just bringing this to our attention now? Not that I mind—this all sounds like it very much had to be kept secret—but it seems strange that you waited so long to tell us about this if you thought it was all connected."

"I can answer that question for you, Fluttershy," said Pandemonia with a warm smile that somehow made Rarity instantly feel at ease. "I am still growing accustomed to this physical form, and I expended too much energy when I first awoke mere days before your arrival in our world. I exhausted myself utterly, and so I needed rest for I am also still recovering from whatever ordeals Nihila had imposed upon me."

"She's been asleep all week," Gray summarized. With a grin, she added, "One hell of a power nap if you ask me. Beats my record."

Fluttershy put her hoof to her mouth. "Oh my. Is everything okay now? Is there anything we can do?"

"You are too kind, my dear," Pandemonia said with a small nod. "No, I think that I have grown accustomed to this form to the point that I will not overexert myself with the mere act of walking about."

She demonstrated by taking several steps over to the nearest wall, setting her hoof upon the stonework delicately. "In the Dreaming I did not possess limbs, nor did I possess the senses of mortals. I was overwhelmed. But my rest has emboldened me; I feel… alive."

"Well that sounds like wonderful news," Rarity said with a smile. "Now that you've recovered, what do you plan to do? Are you going to help in the search for Nihila, perhaps?"

Pandemonia looked contemplative. "I… do not know. For the first time in my existence I feel as though I possess no guiding purpose, no task that I and I alone must accomplish. I am a leaf upon the wind; I know not where I am going, only that I must go. A vexing conundrum."

"You haven't seen the world in thousands of years though, right?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, I have not."

"Well, maybe you should, um… explore it a little? See what sorts of things have changed?"

"Hmm. That sounds… yes, that sounds intriguing," Pandemonia said with a nod. "I would very much like to see what ponies of the world have done for themselves in my absence."

Gilderoy hummed loudly. "Hmm hmm hmm, I would not advise traveling south, at the very least not so long as the Beacons are in place. You are composed of pure, concentrated Dark magic; the southern continent is blanketed by Harmonia's energy, the purest of Light magic there is."

"My sister would not deign to bring me harm, good sir gryphon," Pandemonia huffed.

"Oh no no, not on purpose," he chuckled. "But regardless of how balanced and intertwined you two may have been within the Dreaming together, you possess a physical body now. There is a significant likelihood that exposure to such powerful Light magic could have devastating effects upon your body, potentially lethal ones. I have no theories as to what would happen to you should you… well, die."

Pandemonia went silent for a moment, then nodded. "I will acquiesce to your wisdom, Lorekeeper, for this world is strange to me now; I feel as though I am an intruder within my own home, a presence that does not belong. These 'Beacons' seem to be both a blessing and a curse."

"Hope's Point is open to you," said Blackburn quite suddenly. "May need to disguise yourself; alicorn form would draw attention. Will make other accommodations."

"It's not exactly the southern continent, but we do our best," Lockwood chuckled. "Now, if you need somepony to show you around—"

"I'll do it," interrupted Gray, stamping her hoof to ensure that she got the group's attention.

"Hmm? You want to do it?" Lockwood asked.

"Yeah, I do. I've lived my entire life having Dawn tell me how lazy and irresponsible I am, no matter how much good I do. I want this responsibility. Not for her benefit, not for New Pandemonium's benefit, but for me, for my benefit." She nodded firmly. "I want to prove her wrong and shove it in her face."

"I thought she trusted you enough to serve as an ambassador here in Hope's Point, did she not?" asked Rarity.

Gray shook her head. "No. Curaçao's the one who handled all that, and Dawn fought her all the way. That's why I need to do this. It's not just for me, it's for Curaçao too. She had faith in me to do a good job, so I'm gonna do right by her." She looked at Blackburn. "But it's your city. If you don't want me to—"

"Permission granted," Blackburn interrupted. "One condition: Flathoof remains with you. You represent New Pandemonium; he represents Hope's Point. Fair arrangement."

Gray smiled lightly, then offered Blackburn her hoof. "Agreed. Thanks, Your Majesty."

"Please," Blackburn said, taking Gray's hoof firmly. "Least I could do. You're family. Family looks out for each other."

Gray looked at Blackburn for a long moment. "Damn straight," she said at last. She then turned to Pandemonia. "Is that alright with you? Would you mind if I showed you around the city and stuff? I'm not the most personable pony, but I know what's what."

Pandemonia smiled and nodded. "That would please me greatly, Gray. You have a good heart, a strong sense of loyalty for those who matter to you most. I have faith in your ability to guide this stranger in these strange lands."

"Cool." Gray turned to Fluttershy and beckoned her over. "Hey, Shy, can I ask you a favor?"

Fluttershy pointed at herself as she stepped over to Gray. "Me? Sure, Gray, anything."

"While Flathoof and I are handling these 'tours', would you want to foalsit the kids?" Gray asked, throwing a hoof around Fluttershy's shoulder.

"I'd love to!" Fluttershy gasped.

"Awesome. They're gonna love it." Gray waved Lockwood over. "Hey! Get over here, we gotta figure out some sort of, I dunno, list or something. Where I should take her, when's the best time to go to certain places."

Lockwood chuckled. "You want to know what I would've done if I were taking her around, don't you?"

"Yeah, duh."

Rarity watched the little quartet form around another to start discussing plans for their new mission, and she found herself quite impressed with it all. Gray's initiative was inspiring, her reasons praiseworthy; Blackburn's willingness to accommodate the proposal was quite mature of her, as Rarity wouldn't have blamed her at all if she wanted the responsibility to be all her own; Fluttershy looked to be extremely happy that she was getting the opportunity to spend more time with Gray's kids, and Rarity was happy for her.

And Lockwood, well, he was just his usual self, as always. So determined to be compassionate and considerate that he was ready to offer his services to a literal goddess given physical form. And Rarity knew there were no ulterior motives there whatsoever; it was just out of the kindness of his heart, his complete inability to be anything but a gentlecolt. She adored that quality of his.

Rarity didn't even notice Pandemonia step over to her, which was a little embarrassing; she was hard to miss. "Rarity, might I ask you a question?" the goddess asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, of course," Rarity replied. "Is there something I can do for you? Ah, did you perhaps want me to make you a dress? Don't feel embarrassed about asking me," she tittered. "I'm quite used to it. I have been considering the colors still, and believe that a rich silver might also be appropriate, if you'd prefer that over black. Either way, I can make something that will bring out all of your best features."

Pandemonia lifted a hoof and glanced over herself briefly. "I had not considered that. But I must refuse, at least at present. If I am to explore this city, I will be utilizing a different appearance. I fear any clothing you make for me would be wasted."

"Ah, yes, that certainly would be the case. Well, if you change your mind, just let me know, and I'll help you make a fashion statement to end all fashion statements."

"Indeed. But that was not what I wished to ask you."

Rarity tilted her head. "Oh?"

"I mentioned earlier that I hold dominion over the concept of Adversity, yes?"

"Yes, you did. I'm still not sure what that means."

"It sounds more complicated than it is." Pandemonia smiled and gestured around her. "In life, one's experiences can be narrowed down to two states of being: there is the state of Prosperity, my sister's domain, wherein one experiences no troubles, no strife, no fear or worry. A state of content.

"The other is Adversity, wherein one must struggle with complications, must fight against challenges, where they must carefully consider every action they take lest they make things worse. A state of conflict." Her smile widened and she set her hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "That is my domain. That is where my strength lies, where I am at my most powerful."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "That is certainly an interesting philosophy."

"Indeed, and an interesting dichotomy that my sister and I had. Her guiding principle was to maintain Prosperity in the hearts of all; mine was to govern conflict, to guide others through Adversity. But my intentions were never evil, no. An individual can only become stronger through overcoming challenges, and it is in their success over those challenges that they find Prosperity.

"It is a cycle. Conflict arises, one triumphs over the challenge presented, and then they may rest until the next conflict comes their way. But too much Adversity leads to misery; too much Prosperity leads to stagnation. They must be balanced. There can be no happiness without sadness, just as every night must give way to the morning."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"I can sense conflict wherever it may be, even when it is deeply hidden and closely guarded. Though my dominion over the concept is not as great within this form, I can still sense it. There is much strife to be had from our situation, for instance." Pandemonia subtly tilted her head towards Gray. "Gray's heart aches with conflicting feelings about her sister."

"She's said as much…" Rarity replied, growing more curious than ever as to where this line of thought was going. "And I think that it goes without saying that we're not exactly in an ideal situation right now."

"Indeed. These things are as clear to mortals as they are to me, even without words." Pandemonia's hoof slid down and pressed against Rarity's chest. "But the turmoil in your heart? None can see it save for me, perhaps not even yourself. It is hidden, deep down in the recesses of your soul, forced there out of a desire to avoid conflict."

Rarity nervously chuckled. "I don't know what you mean—"

"It is not always present. Now, for instance, it is little more than an ember. When you look at him, though…" Her eyes darted towards… Lockwood? "It smolders. Soon it may become an inferno."

"I… I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

Pandemonia paused, eyebrow raised, then she shook her head and removed her hoof from Rarity's chest. "Perhaps I was mistaken then. I am still growing accustomed to this form, so there is a chance that I am seeing something that is not there… or perhaps it is the future I see? Hmm. An interesting thought."

Rarity nervously smiled. "Ahaha, yes, perhaps. Very interesting. Ahem… w-well, if you don't mind, I'd like to find out what my friends and I have planned for the rest of the day. I hope your tour goes well."

"Thank you, Rarity. Consider my words. Please."

"I will, certainly."

As Rarity stepped over to her friends, though, and as her gaze lingered on Lockwood for a moment, she took a deep breath and swallowed. Pandemonia was clearly mistaken; waking up after two thousand years and then having to get used to being in a real body, why, that would be traumatic for anypony, enough to make them misinterpret situations. That's all it was: a misunderstanding.

And that's all it would ever be.

*****

At first Gray hadn't known where to start on the tour she'd planned out. Lockwood's plethora of ideas and locales to visit had been a great launching point for putting together a plan, but it was hard to figure out what was the best thing to really start with. Where should they go first? What should they do first?

Should she show off the city's entertainment venues? No, too flashy, too loud; it would definitely be considered a big change, but big things like that needed foal steps. Pandemonia wasn't just missing out on two thousand years of development, but also being in a physical body for the first time. The lights and sounds could potentially frighten her or disorient her, and then it would be Gray's fault that the goddess broke again.

Maybe the fashion district then? No, that wouldn't help; they didn't exactly need to go clothes shopping for her, and Rarity had already offered to start putting together outfits if Pandemonia wanted any, and she didn't. If that wasn't a sign of disinterest, nothing was.

It was Flathoof who came up with the best idea: "I figure if we're trying to show her what Hope's Point culture is like, we should take her to a bar," he said.

She'd scoffed at first. "Are you serious? What're you gonna do, drink milk like usual? How're we supposed to 'show her the culture' when you're a frickin' teetotaller?"

"Easy. I won't drink, sure, but you can, and more importantly, she can. It's a way of life for most ponies up here, so what better way to introduce her to our culture than show her what so many ponies do in their free time? And if I'm being responsible and sober, she'll see that we're not just a bunch of alcoholic hedonists."

"Always the responsible one, aren't you? I mean, I suppose that plan makes sense…" She nodded confidently. "Alright, let's do that then. Might as well break in her new body by poisoning it with liquor and booze, right?"

"Spoken like a true Hope's Point citizen," he replied, sniffing and wiping a fake tear from his eye.

"Bite me, honey."

And so that was how Gray and Flathoof ended up escorting a unicorn mare through the city streets on the way to the best pub in town, the Wyrm's Head. The unicorn's name was Puzzle Box, and she had a dark blue coat and a silvery-white mane and tail that she wore very long and straight. Despite not otherwise needing clothes, Puzzle had acquiesced to wearing a simple jacket and nothing more, because that would suffice for most ponies' sensibilities.

"When Rarity had suggested providing clothing for me, I was not under the impression that it was to fulfil some obligation to hide my physical form from others," Puzzle said as she fidgeted with the jacket. "I had assumed that she was being honest with her comment to 'bring out my best'."

"Oh, no, Rarity was one hundred percent offering you clothes to make you look snazzy," Gray said with a grin. "But yeah, it feels like it would be a waste to make something for you as you are right now. In your, uh… usual state, though, hey, you might dig whatever she can put together. Rarity's a genius about that stuff."

"I will reserve judgment then, in that case." Puzzle continued to fidget in the jacket's sleeves, trying to roll them up and failing again and again; Gray helped her so that they would stay up. "Bah! How can one walk the world and not savor the feeling of the wind against their coat? Such squandering of nature's gifts is troubling."

"That's just how things are done up here," Flathoof responded. "Been that way for hundreds of years, a New Pandemonium custom actually. It's a little more lax down here in Hope's Point, sure, but it's not like the southern continent. Down there they don't have the rule at all; they think we're weird for having it."

"That is because it is a peculiar rule to have. Why would one deign to hide themselves away from the world? The physical form is beautiful; Harmonia and I molded you in our own image."

Flathoof coughed into his hoof. "Well it's not really to hide yourself in a general sense. It's to hide your… more intimate bits."

Puzzle raised an eyebrow and glanced at her own backside first, then at Flathoof's, then at Gray's, then at a number of other passers-by. "Surely you jest? This jacket would no more hide my genitalia than—"

Gray put a hoof over Puzzle's mouth. "Whoa whoa whoa, that's exactly the point. The jacket doesn't actually hide a damn thing, but everypony has the sense not to notice that if you don't bring it up."

"That's how lingerie works," Flathoof said, nudging Gray and grinning. "Lingerie covers about the same amount as some regular articles of clothing we wear, sometimes more, but folks notice that it's not covering up anything in that case. It's part of what makes it sexy."

"Selective awareness?" Puzzle said, tapping her chin. "Hmm. What a bizarre concept. And you say that the rules are stricter further north?"

"Eyyup."

"Fascinating. In my time, the only purpose for clothing was as protection from the worst of the elements. This jacket would hardly suffice as protection from the southern snows, however. Rarity claimed that it is a… 'fashion statement'?"

"I think jackets are the trend right now, yeah," Gray said with a nod, gesturing out at all the other mares wearing similar jackets of different styles and colors. "Wearing nice clothes sometimes draws a lot of attention your way. We gave you something simple so you wouldn't attract too much, but would still keep Rarity quiet."

"Ah, so the clothing serves a contradictory double purpose?"

"Contradictory how?"

"The clothing serves the same role as the plumage of a bird: attracting a potential mate. However the clothing also serves to obscure one's genitalia, which would potentially confuse such a potential mate."

"Well, you'd take the clothes off before you… uh, 'mate'," Flathoof said, tugging his collar. With a look at Gray, he added, "Usually. Sometimes your wife wants you to keep the uniform on."

Gray snorted loudly and gave him a look that indicated that if he didn't shut up, he wouldn't be "mating" with anypony for a while.

Puzzle nodded her head firmly, though she still looked confused. "Northerners have such strange customs. Hmm. Perhaps I will accept Rarity's offer and have her design a 'fashion statement' for me so that I may attract a mate. There are many aspects of such a distinctly 'mortal' experience that intrigue me."

"Uh… sure, whatever you say?" Gray agreed, not sure what to make of any of that. She cleared her throat. "So, anyway… see anything else that strikes you while we're out and about? I know this isn't anything like what you're used to in pretty much every way imaginable."

"Indeed it isn't," Puzzle replied. "In my time, the largest pony settlement was also situated along the coast, as your Hope's Point is, but it did not possess such tall structures. Ponies had only recently begun developing seafaring vessels, and theirs were no match for the sorts that the minotaurs possessed in their navy."

"If you think these buildings are tall, you oughta see Pandora Tower up north. It's the single tallest structure in the entire world, next to the southern Beacon of course," said Flathoof. "The tower's just a little bit taller. A little bit."

"Dad built his whole headquarters around the northern Beacon, so he needed room," Gray said with a shrug.

"I would very much like to see how tall this 'Pandora' is someday," Puzzle said with a small smile. "The advancements of ponykind are incredible. You say that much of this is derived from gryphon technomagic?"

"That's the basic gist of it, yeah."

Puzzle nodded as she eyed an advertising billboard that had animated lights. "Such interesting inventions."

"And there's a lot more where that came from, too." Gray pointed up ahead, towards their destination. "And hey, here we are: the Wyrm's Head. It's the best pub in the whole city according to, well, everypony."

Puzzle's eyes widened as she gazed upon the structure, which was made up entirely of cobbled together ships—seafaring ships, not airships—arranged in such a way that each one served as its own miniature pub. Over the entrance was the skull of some great draconic creature, fake of course, as dragons were just a myth; even if they were real, there was no way any of them could get big enough that their skulls were larger than a pony five times over.

"What a bizarre establishment," Puzzle muttered, shaking her head. "Using the wrecks of old pony ships in such a way is both pragmatic and, somehow, distressing."

"Oh hey, yeah, these are old ship designs that they probably don't even use anymore down south," Flathoof said, scratching his chin. "You don't happen to recognize any of them by any chance, do you?"

"No," she replied. "They are not from my time, but they are clearly not of this time either, or at least not of a style that your city would deem appropriate. From what I have heard of the world's history, perhaps these are remains of ships that Silvertongue used to cross the sea centuries ago."

"Huh… yeah, maybe they are. They must've been fished up hundreds of years later and given some repair work… to smash 'em together as part of a pub." He chuckled. "How's that for poetic?"

Puzzle turned to Gray. "You say that this establishment is a 'pub'? What exactly is that?"

"It's a business that serves alcohol and food, but with an emphasis on the alcohol," Gray explained. "Didn't they have anything like that in your time?"

"Inns often served ale or wine as well as food, yes, but their emphasis was on providing rooms for weary travelers to rest their hooves in. I believe the zebras had something called a 'mead hall' that served a similar purpose as this 'pub', but it was not a business, it was a private club of sorts. Though I will not pretend to understand all of zebra culture."

"Well, guess this'll be your first experience with a pub ever," Gray said with a grin as she walked Puzzle towards the front doors. "It'll take some getting used to, but it's a big part of Hope's Point culture. One of the city's top exports is booze, and they even started teaching the southerners how to make some of their kinds of stuff."

"Truly? Ah, then ponykind has indeed become a worldly folk. That is wonderful news," Puzzle said with a smile.

"Yeah? Cool, 'cause having a drink is considered the proper way to celebrate good news, so let's get you started on the traditions, huh?"

As they entered into the pub's main hall, which was larger than any of the others and made of sterner stuff than the other "themed" rooms throughout the building, Gray could see that it was crowded, as it tended to be at this time of day on this day of the week at this time of year. Which… was the same as it was every day, actually; the Wyrm's Head was never empty unless there was a citywide emergency in effect… and maybe even then it wasn't.

But Gray knew what to do to get seats for herself and her guests; a little trick Blackburn had told her about, a signal to give to the bartender. It required wings, so only pegasi could do it, but with a careful flick here and there—and Gray had to be careful not to accidentally activate her powers in the process—the bartender noticed her, waved her over, and somehow there was a set of three empty seats right in front of him where before they had been three other ponies.

Gray didn't know how it worked, but it did, so they took their seats without a fuss.

The bartender—a salt-and-pepper-colored unicorn stallion with a huge mustache—grunted and tilted his head up at Flathoof, but didn't stop washing his current glass in the process; was he always washing a glass? Was that just a thing that bartenders did to look busy?

"Captain," he grunted. "You gonna order something besides milk today? Oooh, maybe a soda? If you ask for some grenadine in it then it's at least something."

Flathoof grinned. "Nnnope. Milk will do."

"Figures." The bartender ducked under the counter and returned a few seconds later with a glass of cold, white milk. "You want me to add some chocolate syrup for you? Or would you prefer it plain?"

"Hmm, chocolate milk sounds nice. But no, I'll pass. Ooh, unless you can make it into a chocolate milkshake?"

"Ahaha. No." The bartender then turned to Gray and was immediately all smiles. "Ambassador. What can I get for you?"

"Just a dark beer for me, not picky about the brand today." Gray then patted Puzzle on the shoulder. "And I've got a friend here visiting from the south who's never been to a real pub before and definitely never did any day-drinking before. What would you recommend for a naive first-timer?"

The bartender eyed Puzzle briefly while simultaneously grabbing a bottle of dark beer, popping the cap, and serving it to Gray all without even looking at what he was doing. "Is she old enough to drink?"

"Oh yeah," Gray chuckled. "She's a lot older than she looks, trust me. Some mares get all the luck."

"Very well, then we can skip that step. Where are you from in the south, Miss?"

Puzzle tilted her head, then said, "I traveled a lot. You could say that I'm from everywhere."

Good answer, Gray thought.

"Ah, well aren't you a little mystery mare. I've got just the thing." The bartender ducked under the table again and was back up in a few seconds with a shot glass filled with four separate liquids all layered on top of one another.

"A speciality of the house for visiting tourists: the Southern Tour. One part sangria from Seaside; one part vodka from Frostburg; one part whiskey from High Mountain; one part tequila from Newhaven. Oh!" He topped it off with a dash of hot sauce. "And a garnish of spice from Deepgrove to top it off. Drink it all in one go now; no sipping."

Gray blanched slightly. "Ooh, sounds tasty. Are you sure?"

"It's a little bit of everything but the kitchen sink, so if your friend likes to drink, she'll love it. If she doesn't… well, that's what towels are for."

Gray shrugged and turned to Puzzle. "He's the expert, so I'd say you give it a try. Like he said: all in one go. That's called a 'shot'."

Puzzle nodded and used her magic to take up the glass, eyed it carefully, then shrugged and, as instructed, pounded it back in one go like an expert. Immediately after consuming it, she convulsed in disgust, stuck out her tongue, blinked like somepony had flashed a light in her eyes, and firmly set the glass back on the table as if hoping it would shoo the taste away, even letting out a high-pitched noise of revulsion to top it all off.

"Well?" Gray asked.

"This beverage, this… 'shot' as you call it… it's…" She shuddered again, as if the taste was still lingering in her mouth.

"It looks to me like she hates it," Flathoof observed.

She pointed at him, eyes wide, as if his observation had been an enlightening experience. "Yes, that is exactly it! I hate this drink. It burns my throat as it goes down, tastes like urine, and there is an unpleasantness that lingers even after I have swallowed it. It is revolting."

"Would you like another?" asked the bartender with a cocky smirk.

Puzzle pushed her glass towards him. "Please."

*****

Rarity eyed her new jacket up and down carefully in the mirror, checking every last seam there was, every stitch, every thread. The color was perfect, a wonderful dark red that reminded her of her "investigator" ensemble. She'd been careful to keep the color and the general style different enough that they weren't exactly the same, but the resemblance was there. She'd even made a matching wide-brim hat with a bow.

Nopony around here had ever seen her noir-inspired outfit—Fluttershy excluded—so nopony would dare suggest that any faux pas was taking place.

The jacket looked wonderful over her wine-colored satin dress which had been delicately assembled to hug her figure just right without being too provocative. It was a fine line between decent and indecent, and depending on where in the world—or on what world—you were, the line shifted one way or the other. Hope's Point did not have the rules that New Pandemonium did, but its fashion had trends that said otherwise, so she'd been very careful with how it flowed around her backside.

But yes, the ensemble was complete; she looked perfect. Well, she always did, of course, that went without saying. But by the stars above, this was definitely one of her finest works… for the context of a simple lunch get-together with friends who happened to be royalty. Because of course the context mattered; this outfit was too complicated to wear if she went to lunch with Fluttershy alone, but covered up too much if she were on a proper date with some handsome stallion.

"Wow, you look amazing," said Cotton Rose from behind her.

"Thank you, darling," Rarity replied, turning and giving Cotton a little smile. "And thank you again for letting me use your shop for putting together all my outfits lately. You have a wonderful setup here."

Cotton nervously scuffed her hoof on the floor. "Oh, it's no problem at all. Anything for a friend. I owe you big time for all the word-of-mouth advertising you've given me, and for helping me out with my wedding dress. I guess that's the silver lining to putting off the ceremony, huh?"

"Indeed it is, dear, indeed it is. The way I see it, one must always look for the silver linings in life if they're to pull through the hard times. It would be easy to simply give up and consider everything a lost cause; it's much harder, and more rewarding, to take the good with the bad and make it work to your advantage."

"Words to live by." Cotton rubbed her neck slightly. "So, um… I know it's a little while away still, but… when the sandstorm clears up and Havoc comes back home, I don't think she'd have a problem if I wanted to invite one more guest. Y'know. If you're interested."

Rarity's eyes lit up and she took Cotton's hooves in hers. "Oh my, are you inviting me to your wedding? Well of course I'd be delighted to come. You're so sweet for asking." She giggled slightly as she looked at Cotton's blushing face, "The resemblance really is uncanny, especially when you blush."

"Huh?"

Rarity released Cotton and turned to adjust her mane in the mirror. "I have a friend back home, a wonderful young mare named Coco Pommel. You remind me of her: sweet, genuine, and cute as a button. You even look a lot like her; why, you could be her twin sister if you were about five years younger."

"She sounds nice."

"Oh, she is. And so are you, dear." Rarity pinched Cotton's cheek. "Now then, I think I should be going. If I leave now I can arrive just in time to be fashionably late."

"It's not many ponies that keep His and Her Majesty waiting," Cotton said with a smirk as she started putting away the discarded materials.

"Yes, well, they should have thought of that before inviting me to lunch so late. A lady has to look her best, and I certainly wasn't going to go out to lunch in my morning ensemble like some barbarian." She kissed Cotton on the cheek. "Au revoir, darling!"

"Bye!" Cotton called back with a wave.

Rarity left Cotton's shop—still unopened but at least looking like it would be soon, from the outside at least—and made her way down the street towards her destination, a Baroque restaurant not too far from here. Though she didn't make it look like she was paying attention, she was definitely paying attention to the looks that she was getting from passersby on her way. Some eyed her with envy, others with awe, others still with lust, all of which was only natural.

After all, Rarity was the kind of pony that everypony should know, so eyes would naturally be drawn to her in one way or another, and she loved the attention.

The restaurant itself was a lovely establishment, another of the ritzier affairs that Hope's Point had to offer. It hadn't all been high-class dining over the past week or so, of course; why, just the other day Lockwood and Blackburn invited her to a classical diner for a change of pace, which allowed Rarity to try out a more casual blouse and skirt that she'd wanted to wear, and it hadn't been out of place at all.

She checked her jacket and hat at the door, of course, leaving her in just the dress as she made her way to the private royal booth; her name was already on the guest list so there was no hassle whatsoever with getting the maître d' to show her the way. The sight of both Crossfire and Gadget nearby led her to believe that one of the two royals would likely be leaving early; she'd cottoned on to that little tidbit by now.

"Rarity, fashionably late I see," Gadget quipped as Rarity made her way to the table. She eyed her dress up and down. "Oh wow, very fashionable indeed. Golly, that's a nice dress. Does it come in purple?"

"For you, darling, of course it does," Rarity said with a grin. She then waved to Lockwood and Blackburn, the former of whom had stood to greet her as was proper manners. "Hello, everypony. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long?"

"Oh no, not at all," Lockwood said, giving her a wide smile. He, too, eyed her dress up and down. "Wow, that dress looks… great."

"Thank you, darling." She set her hoof on his chest briefly; he had on a handsome shirt underneath his usual white jacket. "Aha, I love your new shirt. The trim is fantastic. Who made this?"

"Oh, uh, just my regular tailor. How can you tell it's new?"

"Lockwood dear, I'm me. I can spot the difference between a new shirt and one that you've worn before quite easily. It's the way the material stretches; an old shirt won't be quite as tight around the neck."

"Ah. Well, I guess I shouldn't expect anything less," he chuckled.

"Blackburn, how are you?" Rarity asked.

"Well, thank you," Blackburn said; she hadn't risen, as she didn't need to. She also looked the dress up and down, raising one eyebrow as she did so, and delaying her response for quite some time. "Hmm. You look stunning."

"Well thank you darling," Rarity tittered as Lockwood helped her take her seat.

It wasn't an undue compliment, but the word choice was a little… odd. Then again, Blackburn didn't seem the sort to know all the ins and outs of complimenting a lady's appearance. Something her stepmother sadly never had the chance to teach her, most likely.

From there it was just idle small talk while they waited—not for long—for the waiter to take their orders, and then they could proceed to more important topics while they waited for the food. Rarity ordered the pesto primavera salad; it sounded divine. She also had no trouble at all letting Blackburn take absolute control of the conversation; it seemed as if a lot of business was happening all at once now that Pandemonia was awake, so she could understand.

"Spoke with the Council before lunch," Blackburn said, sipping from her water. "Pandemonia situation still urgent, have come to decision: cannot make decisions alone. Lack information, lack context, and frankly lack investment."

"What do you mean, 'lack investment'?" Lockwood asked. "Pandemonia just being around has gotta be a world-changing event. Sounds pretty invest-worthy to me."

"True, but with current information and context, more of a southern issue."

He tapped his chin. "Hmm… no, I guess that sounds about right. She's a mare from out of time that doesn't belong up here with us, not originally anyway. So are we trying to find a way to get her home to the south? To Harmonia?"

Blackburn tilted her head side to side. "Yes and no. Southern religious and political affiliations different from two thousand years ago. Deep sea research teams' search for minotaur ruins still ongoing. Latest reports indicate little progress, but have high hopes; crew of the Comet Chaser believe they will have something soon, venturing out beyond original parameters."

Rarity still found all this information about minotaurs in this world to be a little distressing. The only minotaur she knew back home, Iron Will, didn't seem to be an evil sort. Misguided, maybe a little underhanded and deceptive, but not the type to burn and pillage innocents. The idea that there weren't any more minotaurs was also a bit distressing. What on earth could have happened to them?

"Also require context from the southern leaders, perspective on ramifications of Pandemonia's existence, answers on why she has been forgotten." Blackburn took a breath. "Council agrees, require southern input on issue. Approved arrangement of delegation from the south. They will fly here, see Pandemonia, talk to her, help us understand, perhaps understand in turn.

"Messengers will dispatch tonight. Will retrieve representatives from Houses Silver, Sky, and Golden; most notable noble houses in their society, most political power. Also requesting representative from Zeb'ra'den; zebras included Nihila in their pantheon, thus could have context of their own to provide."

Lockwood whistled. "Wow, we're really gonna try and get the zebras up here too? I know they've been pretty accepting of us during our diplomatic tours, but I always got the feeling they were just fine sticking where they were."

"Perhaps. Hence, instructed messenger to consult with their embassy in Utopia first. Zebra ambassador would consider this a point of interest. You would suggest it; already done."

Rarity marveled at the way the two complemented one another as leaders. Blackburn's strict logic and swift action were balanced by Lockwood's flexible nature and kindly demeanor. The two of them together could probably convince anypony of anything.

Soon, appetizers were served, and it was here when Gadget stepped over to the table and got Blackburn's attention. "Your Majesty, Chief Storm says she's ready for you now."

"Hmm, earlier than expected, kudos to her. Was hoping to at least finish lunch." Blackburn shrugged and took one last bite of the baked zucchini they'd ordered for the table, then rose from her seat as she dabbed her mouth with her napkin. "But duty calls."

Rarity felt a little guilty; had she arrived sooner, Blackburn would've likely had time for lunch, or at least been able to start eating.

"You're meeting with Chief Storm?" Lockwood asked, rising from his chair as she did, as was proper manners.

"Yes. Need to make arrangements for diplomatic visitors, best to get an early start. Apologies." She nodded at Rarity. "To you as well. Rude to interrupt lunch for business."

"You certainly are dedicated to your work, darling," Rarity noted with a small smile. "I, for one, don't mind at all. This is your city, and these are your ponies that you're looking out for. What kind of mare would I be to tell you you can't do that, hmm? Just because it isn't 'proper'? Perish the thought."

Blackburn returned the smile and nodded again, then kissed Lockwood's cheek and headed off without another word, Gadget at her side. Rarity watched her go with no small sense of awe; that was a mare who knew how to take care of business. Twilight absolutely needed to meet this mare so that they could share tips on how to properly rule a country. Twilight needed help on being able to divvy out her duties properly; Blackburn needed help on being less rigid and brusque.

Lunch was served shortly after Blackburn left—Lockwood asked that Blackburn's food be bagged up and sent to the palace for her—along with a bottle of white wine. As per usual, Rarity took a moment to savor the wine, swirling it around and sniffing it before taking a sip. She couldn't help but notice that Lockwood was doing the same.

"Verdict?" she asked, curious.

"A slight floral scent… er, nose. Rose, I think," he said, taking another sniff. He then took a sip and made a show of smacking his tongue. "Zesty flavor, too, just a little bit of herb in there."

"That was very good," Rarity said with a smile and a nod. "The perfect pairing to a pesto dish as well. And I didn't even have to suggest it. You're a quick learner."

"Thanks. I'm no sommelier, but I try."

"When did you decide to start taking an interest in wine culture? You didn't seem quite so focused on it the other day at the Romantique restaurant. Is it just Baroque wine that interests you?"

"Oh. Well, um…" He rubbed his neck slightly, a nervous smile on his face. "I took up the interest a few years after you guys left the first time, but I didn't really get too into it until you came back. To be honest, wine isn't really my thing quite so much, even now."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Your wife said much the same thing about herself. Although I don't imagine you prefer 'harder stuff' as she does?"

"Oh, no, not really. I prefer champagne, but I'm not a stranger to other things if it fits the room, so to speak. I like cocktails, though. The process of making them is pretty fun, all that shaking and such." He shook his head. "I've just never been that fond of wine. Before Flathoof's family adopted me, I had a pair of foster parents who cared more about wine than they did about me."

Rarity frowned. "I see. Forgive me, dear, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories—"

He raised a hoof. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm over it, enough that I even tried taking an interest in the stuff myself. Heh, I felt out of place the other day trying to remember the things I learned about wine, y'know? I reread a bunch of books to try and get caught up on where I'm supposed to be."

"Really? Why? Just to keep up with me?"

"You could say that," he said with a nod and a smile. "I've got a lot more time on my hooves these days to learn all the little details about things my friends enjoy, or at least to try to. I mean, I still couldn't tell you the difference between a whipstitch and a slipstitch if you asked me out of the blue, but I'd try."

She smirked. "I'm impressed that you even know there is a difference, so kudos to you, darling. That's more than most ponies already."

She tapped her glass against his then took another drink of wine before starting on her meal, and he did the same as they sat and chatted about the events of that morning. Rarity mentioned that she was serious about making a dress especially for Pandemonia's alicorn form, even if she didn't want it. She could admit that she found the challenge exciting; she'd made a wedding dress for Princess Cadance many, many years ago, but never anything for Princess Luna or Princess Celestia.

Once lunch was finished and the plates cleaned away so that only the wine was left, the conversation turned to other recent events.

"It sounds to me as though you're going to have your hooves full pretty soon with all the visiting diplomats," Rarity said after a sip of wine. "Are you looking forward to it or dreading it, I wonder?"

"A little of both?" he chuckled. "I've built up a decent enough rapport with the southern nobles over the years, so hopefully everything goes nice and smooth on that end, but I haven't the slightest idea how they're all going to react to all this Pandemonia business. Not to mention that I think Blackburn's forgetting one thing, or at least she didn't mention it earlier."

"What's that?"

"Gilderoy. The southern ponies don't know the truth about what happened to the gryphons, and they don't know what Silvertongue did or what he's been doing for the last few hundred years." He shook his head. "I've been to Zeb'ra'den, Rarity. You know they have a statue of Silvertongue in the Beacon courtyard? He's considered one of their greatest heroes. And he was… before he did what he did to the gryphons."

"Hmm… yes, I can imagine that complicates things quite a lot." Rarity tapped her chin. "I don't suppose there's any way you can skirt around the issue?"

He sighed. "Gilderoy doesn't plan on spilling the beans just yet, not while we have world-changing stakes on our plate. But… I doubt he'll keep it a secret forever. When he finally does let the truth come out, will that cause problems for us for hiding it? It's a tricky pickle; I don't like hiding it, but…"

"I can imagine." She gave him a bright smile and set her hoof on the table in front of him. "But I know that you can figure it out, darling. You've got a way with ponies… and zebras too, I suppose? Yes, I'm sure you can make it work out in a way where everyone—pony, zebra, and gryphon—can walk away satisfied in the end. I have faith in you, and I'm certain your citizens do too."

He smiled back and nodded, then, after a pause, he said, "You know… I've missed this."

"Hmm? Missed what?"

"This. Spending time with you and chatting about things I don't usually get to talk about. Like wine, heh. I've spent so many years wrapped up in political talks and business deals and diplomacy this and diplomacy that. I can't avoid it, even with you at times, but still… it's nice. Maybe it's because you're such a new face to all of it. Sometimes it's all a little too much for me to believe."

"Lockwood, you should be proud of what you've done, what you've become. There are ponies out there who dream of being in your horseshoes." She gestured at him, all of him. "Look at you! You're royalty, dear. You have all the money in the world. You have a beautiful wife and some truly lovely children of your own. And you deserve all of it."

He smiled again. "Thanks. But y'know, when it comes down to it… I don't even care about all of the success or the money. Never did. I'm glad to have it, sure, but it's not for my own sake. Even when we knew each other way back when, I had more money than I knew what to do with, but I only ever used it to help ponies. That's what mattered to me then, and what still matters to me now.

"All of this status and wealth, it's only useful to me as a means to an end, and that end is continuing to make positive change in the lives of others. I know, it sounds a little corny, but that's just how I am."

"I wouldn't change a thing, dear," she said. "You're perfect just the way you are."

To her surprise, he took her hoof in his. "I just hope that I had the same effect on you as you did on me."

Rarity blinked and stared at their touching hooves; her heart suddenly skipped. "I… beg your pardon dear?"

"I've met a lot of ponies over the years, Rarity, but there aren't many who I can say really changed me, at least not in a positive way. You did, and I wanted to thank you for that."

"What… what did I do?" she asked, feeling her voice catch in her throat as she looked into his eyes.

Before he could answer, Crossfire stepped over and cleared his throat. "Yer Majesty, I've got a call from Secretary Virtuoso. That greenhouse deal y'all been workin' on is goin' through an' he needs ya ta come get everythin' all signed up. I reckon he called up Her Majesty but she's busy already."

Lockwood nodded. "About time. Those House Green reps certainly waited long enough to figure out how much they wanted." He sighed and shook his head, then looked right at Rarity with a weak smile. "I'm sorry, Rarity, but duty calls. Such is the life of a king, hmm?"

As he rose from the table, his hoof lingered on hers for just a brief moment. Rarity felt her heart drop the instant they broke contact.

"Y-yes, of course. I understand completely," she said. She then cleared her throat. "Thank you for a wonderful afternoon."

"Always. And hey, let me know if you're free for dinner later. I don't know if you were gonna head over to Cotton's after this or not, but Blackburn and I are always happy to have you."

"Certainly, I'll… I'll think about it. I'll let you know, I mean."

"Wonderful. See you later." He smiled and headed off without another word; the check would be delivered to the palace itself, so Rarity didn't need to worry about being the last to leave.

What she did need to worry about was the intense pounding in her chest and the clenching in her gut. As her mind raced to try and catch up with what had just been said and done and, more importantly, left unsaid, there was one resounding train of thought that was still running without fail: this was what Pandemonia meant. And just as she'd predicted, things were liable to catch fire very soon if she wasn't very careful.

Congratulations, Rarity, you absolute fool. You're in love with a married stallion.

Chapter Ten: Regret

In the Goldridge Checkpoint's common room, Twilight watched Winter put together the last of the supplies in her saddlebag. How Winter managed to fit it all into just her own bags without needing to give anything to Twilight to carry, Twilight didn't know; it was probably a variant of the pocket dimension magic that she used at home to make her "office", as she'd once described it. Otherwise, the sheer amount of food and drink plus camping supplies just should not have been able to fit.

She turned to Pewter and gave him a little smile. "Thank you again for everything, Pewter. I appreciate all you've done for me."

"It was no trouble at all, Twilight," Pewter said with a grin. "I'm honestly impressed that you were able to recover so quickly. Most unicorns take weeks to get back to the point that their magic is in full working order. But then you're not just any old average unicorn, I suppose. Made of stronger stuff than most."

"Eh heh, no, I suppose I'm not," Twilight said with a nervous smile, not meeting his eyes as he said it.

He still didn't know about her wings, a secret that had not been easy to keep and one that Twilight didn't really want to keep. After all, he seemed trustworthy enough and he'd been more than helpful to her over her time here. It didn't seem right not to keep him in the loop; who was he going to tell? Why would he go spreading things like that around anyway?

But then that was Winter's final word on the subject: "No". There had been no arguing otherwise with her, and Twilight had long given up trying. Considering how angry Winter was about Twilight potentially putting her own world at risk, she might just snap if Twilight did anything to put this one in the same boat.

"Alright, I think that's everythin'," Winter said as she sealed up her saddlebag and slung it over her back. "Thank you Pewter. We'll be back in hopefully less than a week with Hourglass and Applejack. They've probably got all the readings done by now."

"I'll be waiting for you," Pewter said with a little salute. "Tell Hourglass I've got a package of her favorite cookies waiting for her. Sorry, 'biscuits'," he corrected, adding little air quotes with his hooves. "And I'm looking forward to meeting your other new friend, too. If this Applejack is as nice as Twilight is, we'll all get along great."

"Oh, you'll love her," Twilight said, grinning wide. "I guarantee that you two are gonna have a blast talking about all your recipes. She never was fond of that synthetic stuff up north."

"Not many folks are, ma'am."

"We'd best be goin'," Winter said, tilting her head towards the door. "You ready to give your magic a real workout, Twilight?"

Twilight nodded. "I've been looking forward to it."

"Good, then let's move."

Twilight waved goodbye to Pewter, temporary as it might be, then followed Winter to the doorframe and lit up her horn to create a magical barrier around them. When Winter opened the door, Twilight could immediately feel the force of the sandstorm raging against her shield; each particle of sand felt like a punch, a really hard punch from a pony with nothing to lose and everything to gain. It seemed stronger, too, based just on how fast the sand was striking and how often; it was just an estimate, but she felt confident in her measurements.

But for Twilight, this was nothing; it may as well have been somepony trying to pop the bubble-shaped barrier with a really, really, really dull needle.

Thus, making their way back up the side of the mountain to the first small cave that they could duck into for protection was quick and easy. They didn't even need to run, and Twilight didn't even strain in the slightest to keep the barrier up. If anything, ducking into the cave at all seemed completely unnecessary; Twilight could've just kept going without issue.

And this continued all the way along the mountainside until she and Winter finally reached the proper cave entrance that would actually lead them further inside along their planned route. It was here where Twilight finally said something, since until now she'd been satisfied to just let Winter dictate their pace as she'd done heading to the Checkpoint.

"Now that I've felt it for myself, I'm impressed with how well you were able to handle doing this when we went the other way," she said, referring to the barrier spell. "That can't have been easy for you. Most unicorns wouldn't be able to last more than a few minutes at best out there unless they had help."

"Yeah, well, it's not really a big deal," Winter said as she lit up her horn to light the way. "So don't mention it." With a sidelong glance, she added, "Really, don't. We don't have time to waste with back-pattin' bullshit. Just follow me and we can get to the ruins in no time, eh?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I thought the ruins were a week away from here, and that's being generous."

"How do ya figure?"

"Well, based on when we split off from Hourglass and Applejack and how long you said it would take them to get to the ruins, and then how long it took us to get to the Goldridge Checkpoint—accounting for the slower pace because of my condition, of course—I'd put the estimate at around six, maybe seven days."

"Ah. Not bad, if that was the route we were takin'. Luckily, it's not." Winter gestured sharply ahead into the cavern she'd been starting down. "This route'll cut straight through to the ruins after a few tunnels. I know a new shortcut." With another sidelong glance at Twilight, she added, "You'll have to use your magic to make it through it though. You won't fit otherwise."

"Oh, well that's handy to know." Twilight nodded in understanding, then smiled and followed behind Winter. "Lead the way!"

*****

Blue Belle had been trying to get some sleep, when all of a sudden somepony jostled her awake. "Hmm?" she mumbled. She got a good look at who had woken her: Viridian Star, creepy as ever with that crystal-covered horn. "What is it, Viridian?"

"The Vessel has moved, Sister Belle," he said in a dull monotone. "She no longer hides within her sanctuary at the Checkpoint. She has moved east, into the mountains."

Belle's eyes widened, and a small smile came to her lips. She immediately rose upright and kicked Rust and Blitz awake. "Wake up! We're moving!"

"What's going on?" grumbled Blitz. "Are we under attack?"

"We're moving, you idiot. The Vessel has moved, and we're going to follow her." She turned to the groggy-looking Rust. "Rust! The Vessel has moved east, into the mountains. Take point and lead us through. Viridian will direct us as we get closer to her position."

Rust wiped sleep from his eyes. "Of course, Sister Belle, right away."

As her crew dressed and armed themselves, Belle found herself unable to contain her excitement and glee. Soon, yes, very soon, the Vessel would be in their hooves, and then the Dark Lady would be one step closer to victory. Long may She reign indeed.

*****

As promised, the new route definitely seemed to be allowing Twilight and Winter to move along at a much faster pace than Twilight had originally predicted. She knew that she could trust that Winter wasn't lying about how far they were from their destination whenever she asked for an update, which she did sparingly so as not to aggravate Winter while she was trying to navigate. It took only a few days to reach the entrance to the "shortcut", and would only take one more to reach the ruins. Quite a big difference from an entire week.

And, also as promised, Twilight needed to use her magic to move forward through the caves that Winter took her through now. The passages were much more narrow in places than anywhere else throughout the cavern complex, as well as too short at times, and worse, sometimes both. It was through careful use of teleportation spells that Twilight could make her way through, a very delicate process so that she didn't end up splicing herself into a wall.

And then there were the pitfalls! Twilight wasn't nervous going around them herself—she could fly, and there was usually just enough room to do so—but she was horribly worried watching Winter scoot around the edge of some great crevasse, without a rope even!

"I don't need your help, thanks," Winter had grumbled when Twilight offered to fly her across on the first time. "I've made it through here before without your help, so I definitely don't need it now."

Twilight frowned. "I understand that, Winter, but—"

"Just worry about gettin' yourself across. I'm just fine by myself. I don't need you."

"Okay… if you say so…"

She didn't know why Winter kept refusing her help, especially when it seemed as if just minor things here and there would cut down their time. But again, she didn't push too hard. She supposed it was just nerves and stress, and once the sandstorm had cleared and Winter could get her work done, she'd be back to her usual self. Twilight was looking forward to it.

Since Winter wasn't keen on talking very much as they made their way through, Twilight took the opportunity to think to herself about how strange this section of the caverns was. After days of traveling through here one way or another, she'd noticed the patterns and orderliness that the caves seemed to have. The caves seemed to be divided up into sections based on the color of the most common gemstones present in the walls, and the size of the paths was mostly uniform and fit for a creature of roughly her size to move through comfortably.

This new shortcut that Winter had found was anything but orderly. The twists and turns were jagged and unpredictable rather than forming pleasant paths; they were, as mentioned, narrow, short, or both, and even an average-sized pony would find them uncomfortable at times; there were pits and drops that would be lethal to a pony who couldn't fly, as opposed to nothing like that at all; and, most noticeably, the gemstones in the walls were random and varied with no recognizable patterns.

If the rest of the caverns were a natural formation that had somehow been sculpted by the gryphons—there was no denying at this point the gryphons were responsible for it, as their ruined city was in these mountains—then this shortcut cavern was a completely natural formation that had never seen the light of… well, had never been touched before, at least until Winter had first made her way through her with Hourglass and this "Sunspire" character.

The thought of it fascinated her, because it was proof that the rest of the cavern complex had indeed been shaped in a specific way. Terraforming on such a scale was a tremendous feat, something that took immense amounts of magic to accomplish safely. But if the gryphons were responsible, how did they manage it? The griffins of Twilight's world didn't possess magic in any meaningful sense—magical artifacts notwithstanding—so did that mean these gryphons were that much different?

But then, all of the self-inquiring stopped entirely when Winter led Twilight around the next section of the cavern, then gestured for her to stay quiet, a hoof over her mouth. "I know that you've been quiet so far, but I need to warn ya to keep extra quiet movin' ahead here, eh? No sudden questions, and if ya need to sneeze or something ya better fuckin' hold it in."

"Why?" Twilight asked in a voice barely above a whisper, bending down so that she was eye level with Winter. "What's up ahead?"

"I've mentioned Gargantuans before, yeah? There's a nest up ahead, and we've got to crawl through it."

Twilight's eyes widened; there were all sorts of questions running through her head. She couldn't think of which to ask first.

Winter, though, must have anticipated this and set her hoof to Twilight's lips; it wasn't exactly a gentle gesture. "Save your questions for the other side. Just stay low, and stay quiet. And if I tell ya to run, you'd better run. Got it?"

Twilight nodded.

"Good."

As Twilight followed, she allowed her questions to fester and ferment a bit so that she could decide on what would be the most efficient order to ask the questions later, because naturally sometimes the answer to one could also answer another, and Winter would appreciate the attempt to save time. The big question of course was how a Gargantuan nest was here in Goldridge; she remembered Winter saying that these mountains had some sort of magical "aura" around them that the Gargantuans didn't like, so they stayed away.

Of course, all of those questions were replaced with new questions as they pressed forward around the corner and Twilight got her first look at the nest, or at least the edges of it.

A sort of strange goo coated the walls and floor, translucent, somewhat green, and easy to notice because it glowed just enough that Winter didn't even need her illumination spell anymore. It was like no type of moss or fungus that Twilight had ever seen before, but it was strangely reminiscent of the same sort of slimy goop that the old changelings under Queen Chrysalis used to subdue prisoners.

As she and Winter walked through it, Twilight noticed three things about the stuff that she hadn't at first: first, the source of the bioluminescence was due to little particles inside the goo, similar in appearance to pond scum; second, the goo had a texture similar to warm gelatin, not quite sticky enough to hold her in place but enough that she had to shake it off; third—and this was most important—it smelled terrible, like a shower drain that hadn't been cleaned in weeks, and the smell just got worse the farther in they went.

And then more questions arose as they rounded another corner and made it into what could only be the nest proper. Twilight knew it was the nest proper because there were eggs everywhere. Well, not eggs, exactly, more like egg sacs, like those of a spider. Or, considering their size, shape, and familiar appearance: changelings. The resemblance was more than just uncanny, it was almost exact. The only difference was the size; these egg sacs were far larger than any Twilight had seen before.

They were also all empty, their contents—more of that sickly green slime—spilled all over the floor.

To Twilight's surprise, it was Winter who asked a question, though it wasn't directed at her. "What the hell…? Shit."

"Hmm?"

"Listen close, Twilight. These eggs must've hatched recently, very recently. We need to move. Quick and quiet, follow—"

Then, both Winter and Twilight noticed something else. A sound, an almost alien sound yet one that had a sort of familiarity to it. It was difficult to place, really, something between a wail and a hiss, but with little shifts in the tone that made it sound like… laughing? No, not laughing, crying. It was like no crying that Twilight had ever heard before, though, definitely not from any creature that she'd ever encountered.

"C'mon, let's—" Winter started to say. She then hissed, a little louder than her whispers had been so far. "Twilight! What the fuck are you doin'?!"

Twilight had stood upright and made her way towards the source of the noise. She heard Winter, certainly, and she could understand her concern, but there was something about this noise that worried Twilight and she knew that she couldn't let it go unanswered. Whatever it was sounded like it was in pain, and Twilight was not one to allow somepony who was hurt to be left alone.

She could hear Winter plodding through the muck behind her, following and trying to get her attention. "Twilight! Have you gone fuckin' mental? This isn't the time to go wanderin' off!"

"Somepony's hurt, Winter," Twilight said firmly, keeping her voice low as she'd been asked. "I can't just leave them here. You said this place was dangerous."

"Yes, dangerous, which is why we need to leave."

Twilight just kept moving forward towards the source of the noise, past several more sacs of empty eggs and across yard after yard of slime. She lit her horn just enough to provide a little more light for herself to see, though she didn't need much thanks to all of the bioluminescence in the slime already. She was certain that she saw something up ahead; the cavern was massive, so there was plenty of "ahead" to move through.

Then, she saw movement, or at least there was something there that caught the light of her horn differently than it did the light of the slime. Then she definitely saw movement, as whatever it was that had caught the light slinked off somewhere to avoid it. As it did, the earlier sound, the crying, stopped entirely; Twilight was sure she'd heard a brief… gasp? As if whatever she'd seen had been surprised by her presence.

Though it had been brief, Twilight was certain she'd seen some part of the creature just before she lost sight of it. There had definitely been some insect-like qualities in the joints; she could swear that she saw the hint of a wasp's wing? Whatever it was, it was big, but that didn't matter; it had been the source of the earlier sound, the crying, and that meant that it was hurt.

"It's okay!" Twilight called out, not too loudly but loudly enough that she hoped that whoever she'd seen would hear her. "I'm not going to hurt you! I want to help!"

Winter stepped up and grabbed Twilight's hoof. "Keep your fuckin' voice down! What did I tell ya about bein' quiet? You're gonna get us killed!"

Twilight ignored Winter for the moment and refocused her light; she didn't make it brighter, just more directed, like a flashlight rather than a lantern. She used it to search the area, trying to find the source of the movement again. Left and right, up and down, every which way she could in a meticulous pattern, all while continuing forward in hopes of finding the source.

Then, Twilight heard movement again, this time to her left, and very close by at that. She turned and shined her light in that direction, and was surprised to come face-to-face—more or less—with the creature she'd seen before, only this time in full view with all of its qualities on full display.

It was indeed quite large, a little more than twice her own height, which would put it at maybe three, maybe four times the size of an average pony. It had somewhat-equine proportions—quadrapdeal, an elongated neck, etcetera—though with distinctly insect-like qualities to everything such as the joints in the legs which ended in sharp points, the clear carapace around the midsection with half-visible wings beneath, and the stinger-like tail.

The creature did not have a muzzle or mouth like a pony, though, but it did have a fearsome set of mandibles. It had four eyes that reminded Twilight of a spider's, only larger and in positions where a pony's eyes would be; only the larger two of the four seemed to be working from what Twilight could tell. It also had a horn-like protrusion in the center of its forehead, similar to a unicorn's, with a sharp, twisted shape.

"Stay behind me, Twilight," Winter said firmly as she placed herself between the creature and Twilight. The gesture was… odd, to say the least, because the creature towered over Twilight and Twilight already towered over Winter. Like an angry chihuahua trying to defend its owner from a manticore.

The creature let out a low… growl-like noise that Twilight never thought that an insect could make, then let out a threatening screech that was definitely a sound that an insect could make. It slowly stalked around the pair of ponies like a mammalian predator, like a big cat rather than an insect. Twilight didn't dare move just yet; she wasn't sure what the creature would do if she did, and it was probably safer to stay still and stay focused.

Part of Twilight was absolutely terrified; this creature, whatever it was, was big enough that it could potentially rip her apart with ease. It could definitely do that to Winter, who despite not being Twilight's magical equal seemed determined to put herself in harm's way regardless of that fact.

But another part of Twilight told her that there was something wrong here, and that she needed to get to the bottom of the problem so that she could fix it. Whatever the creature was, it was adverse to her light spell, so she shut it off to keep from agitating it. Foal gloves and foal steps were necessary here.

"What is that, Winter?" Twilight asked, not taking her eyes off of the creature, just barely able to track it with only the bioluminescent slime to help her see. The creature didn't seem as though it was about to lash out and strike at them just yet, but Twilight was ready with a barrier spell in case it did.

Winter didn't not respond for a long moment, and Twilight couldn't see what she was doing, but eventually she said, "No way. That can't be—"

"What is it?"

Winter tapped Twilight's leg. "Look to your right. Slowly."

Twilight did so. To her right, against the edge of the cave, looked like a large… crab? No, a beetle. Six legs, a thick shell, and some other oddities that Twilight couldn't make out in this lighting from this distance. It wasn't moving, whatever it was, and in fact looked like it was dead. Or rather, hollow; something had torn a hideous gash through its bottom section and left the rest of the shell empty.

"You see that carapace?" Winter asked.

"Yeah."

"That was what Queen Aculeata looked like when I saw her roughly a week ago."

"Who's Queen Aculeata?"

Winter tapped Twilight's leg again to get her to focus on the creature, which had circled around to their left. "That's Aculeata. A Gargantuan queen. She's moulted again."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said queen Gargantuans were bigger than a house? No, bigger than that, actually. Even that shell over there isn't that big, so even if she moulted—"

"She's been gettin' smaller, and fast. When I was here last, she was just a little bigger than that carapace over there is, and now she's not too much bigger than you."

"She's twice my height, Winter," Twilight pointed out.

"Yeah, and when I was here she was nearly ten times your height. That's my point, she's shrinkin' fast."

"Why? What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. I didn't stick around to check at the time, but I planned on doin' some research after finishin' up with all the other shit I've got to deal with." Winter huffed and tapped Twilight's leg again. "We need to get goin' before her young show up. I don't know why she's not attackin' us, but she didn't attack us last time we were here, either."

Twilight paused for a moment, studying the movements of the queen as she did. "I know why. She's scared of us. She's just defending her nest. Fluttershy taught me a lot about animals' habits."

"Scared? Of us? The fuck are you talkin' about, Gargantuans don't get scared, especially of somethin' so much smaller than they are, somethin' they can kill. They don't feel anything at all. They're mindless killin' machines."

"You said that she didn't attack you when you were here before though, right?"

"Well… yeah? I mean, but that's 'cause we were crawlin' right through the nest, right next to all of her eggs."

"Which logically means that she didn't want to risk harming them to attack you."

Winter paused. "That… makes some sense. But the eggs are hatched now, so I doubt that she has that same problem anymore."

"Then why isn't she attacking us? Even a mother bear will attack any intruders she finds around her den. She'd be protecting her cubs."

Another pause. "I don't know. But I really don't want to find out, not when we can just leave—"

"I do want to find out. Something's wrong here, Winter, and I can't just leave without learning what it is." She stepped forward, right past Winter, and addressed the queen directly; she didn't know if the creature could understand her words, but she had to try. "We don't want to hurt you," she said, her tone both confident and sweet as she could manage. "I want to help. Are you hurt?"

Winter hissed, "Twilight—"

Twilight then saw something curious: the queen's "horn" glowed a soft orangish-pink. As it did so, the queen stopped stalking about as she had been, and she tilted her head slightly as if struck by a curious thought. She stepped towards Twilight, slowly, hunched down just enough that she didn't seem as tall anymore.

The queen then scurried off towards the edge of the cave, not particularly fast but not at a normal walking pace either. Twilight followed, ignoring another protest from Winter, though Winter followed behind soon after. She was slowed slightly by the sticky slime on the cavern floor; the queen didn't appear affected by it at all, strangely enough.

At the edge of the cave, the queen stopped, just alongside what looked like it could have been some sort of large pit. Twilight slowly approached the queen, curious as to why she'd led them here, but also still confused about the glow in her horn from earlier, which was no longer there. There was a lot less of the glowing slime in this section of the cave, so Twilight had to light her horn up in order to see, but she kept it dim enough to match the slime elsewhere.

"Why are we followin' her?" Winter asked in a huff. "Twilight, this is a waste of time right now, and dangerous to boot. We need to get movin'."

"She's trying to show us something," Twilight said softly, eyeing the queen cautiously. The queen seemed to be looking between her and the pit below. "Is there something in there that you want us to see?"

"She can't understand you, Twilight," Winter grunted.

"I think she can. And she definitely wants to show us something that's down there." Twilight turned and took a step towards the pit, then increased the intensity of her light spell and cast it into the pit.

She gasped when she saw what was down there: dozens and dozens of bodies. Not pony bodies, no, but… they were almost pony-like in appearance, though with plenty of insect-like qualities much like Aculeata herself had.

To Twilight's sensibilities they seemed like a bizarre halfway point between what a Gargantuan looked like—she'd seen pictures—and what the changelings back home looked like. They couldn't be a hybrid, obviously—changelings didn't exist in this world as far as Twilight knew—but the resemblance was too close to consider anything else.

"What the fuck?" Winter breathed as she looked into the pit with Twilight. "Those are… those are all of the Gargantuans I saw in the eggs when I was here last."

"Are they… are they all…" Twilight murmured.

She glanced towards the queen briefly; she was looking into the pit, and though her eyes and lack of mouth made it near-impossible to emote like a pony could, Twilight could swear the queen looked… well, more than just sad. She looked devastated.

"Dead. All of them." Winter shook her head. "Hard to tell from here, but they don't look like they've been injured, either. They died of natural causes somehow."

"What happened here?" Twilight asked, not really addressing Winter or the queen in particular.

"Well, Gargantuans don't birth their young like ponies do, but if there was an equivalent here I'd say that they were stillborn," Winter explained. "These aren't what 'normal' Gargantuan hatchlings are supposed to look like. We suspected there was some sort of mutation in them, probably the same thing that's causin' the queen to get smaller. Maybe that's why they didn't hatch properly."

"That's why she was crying earlier…" Twilight breathed, turning her full attention to the queen now. "She's grieving."

Winter paused, then let out a sigh and shook her head. "I guess I can sympathize. I can't imagine what that must be like." She patted Twilight's hind leg. "C'mon. We should get goin', leave her to her mournin' or whatever before she decides she wants to get back to normal and, y'know, kill us or somethin'."

Twilight shook her head, then stepped forward and addressed the queen directly. "I don't know if you know exactly what I'm saying, but I think that you can understand me somehow. I'm sorry for your loss. No mother should ever have to mourn her own children."

The queen turned her focus to Twilight for a moment, and her horn glowed that orangish-pink from earlier. Twilight was surprised to see the queen bow her head and start crying again. Now that Twilight could see her doing it, she could tell that it was definitely crying; there weren't any tears, but the way the queen's body trembled was unmistakable.

Twilight turned to Winter. "I'm going to stay here with her," she said simply.

Winter balked. "What?"

"I'm going to stay here. With her. She's grieving, and I want to help."

Winter was stunned, and seemed to have trouble putting words together. "I… you… you want… what? What?! Twilight, have you lost your fuckin' mind? She's just an animal! She could tear you in half without a second thought! Don't be stupid!"

"She won't do that. I don't know if she's fully sapient or not, but she's not 'just' an animal. Maybe she used to be, but she's not anymore. I can tell that she can understand me, and she can tell that I want to help her." Twilight shook her head. "She won't hurt me. If Fluttershy were here, she'd do the same."

"But… why?"

"I'm the Princess of Friendship, remember? Queen Aculeata is mourning the loss of her children. She needs a friend right now, more than anything. It's not just my duty, either; I want to help her. What kind of pony would I be to abandon someone in need, whether they're a pony or some other creature?"

"But Twilight, what if she—"

"I can protect myself if I'm wrong, Winter," Twilight huffed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm fully capable of using my magic again. I don't need to be coddled, not by you, not by anypony."

Winter stared at her for a moment, then her expression hardened. "You're dead set on this, aren't you?"

"I am."

"What about Applejack, hmm? Do ya think she'd approve of this?"

"If you tell her exactly what's happening here, I know that she'd understand. Even if she doesn't approve at first, she'd know that I have to do this, and she'd support my decision. That's what friends do, Winter. In case you forgot."

Winter's expression fell slightly, then hardened again. "Fine. I'll move on ahead and find Hourglass and Applejack, and we'll be back for ya tomorrow mornin'. If anythin' happens to you though, Twilight—"

Twilight smiled slightly. "I'll be fine, Winter. You be careful, okay? And don't worry about me."

Winter took a deep breath—she looked like she immediately regretted it because of how bad the cavern smelled—then nodded. "Fine. Fine. I'm goin'," she said, taking a few cans out of her saddlebag. "Here, at least take some food. I won't be back for a while."

And, just like that, off she went towards the other end of the cavern, off towards the ruins as they'd originally intended to go to together.

Twilight turned her attention back to Aculeata, who hadn't seemed to be paying any attention to their conversation at all, focused instead on looking down into the pit at her dead children. It was a tough concept to stomach; Twilight had never in her life imagined the thought of dead children—pony or otherwise—so facing the concept head on was… well, it helped her understand the impossible emotions that Aculeata was surely feeling.

She set her hoof against the queen's side, and to her relief the queen seemed to understand the gesture and didn't shy away. "I know that you can understand me, even if you don't know exactly what I'm saying," she said softly. "My name is Twilight, by the way. Twilight Sparkle. I'm a friend. Would you like a friend, Aculeata?"

Twilight couldn't be sure, and maybe it was just wishful thinking, or maybe it was a trick of the light, or maybe she was just tired and seeing things that weren't there, but she could swear that the Gargantuan queen… nodded.

*****

Winter grunted and grumbled late that night as she made her way up through a ruined part of the old gryphon city—a section that was actually ruined and not just abandoned—and out of the cavern complex below. This part would've probably been a lot easier if she had somepony with her that could fly her up rather than having to resort to leaping between crumbling platforms to make her way up.

Stupid Twilight, she thought to herself as she climbed her way through broken stone floors. Always has to be so fuckin' helpful and friendly. Can't just leave well enough alone, oh no, she has to make friends with everyone and everything if it has a fuckin' pulse.

She clammored her way up into an old abandoned room that had once been a statue maker's establishment; the centerpiece was a stone gryphon statue that was firmly attached to the floor, still in commendable quality after hundreds of years and far too heavy to steal without irreparably damaging it.

But nooo, Twilight has to go off and play magical fairy princess of fuckin' hoof-holdin' lovey-dovey bullshit! Because of course she does, 'cause she's just so fuckin' perfect. Only a perfect pony princess would want to make friends with a fuckin' mutant insect monster.

She made her way into the room fulling and rolled her shoulders as she caught her breath; she was exhausted, but she wasn't about to call it quits just because she'd been abandoned by Twilight. Again.

Or with an arsehole like me. Fuck, why does she have to be so fuckin' perfect?! It's not fair!

With a grunt, she made her way out of the room through the large stone door and out into the city proper. She was somewhere in one of the old city's districts, though she didn't know if this was some sort of business center or maybe it was the artisan district or what; she'd never learned proper hierogryphics and only knew bits and pieces, not enough to really help her figure out where she was.

Maybe Twilight— yeah, well, fat lot of good that does me if she does know, doesn't it? she thought. Oh yeah, thanks Twilight, you've been a big help. Maybe when you're done playin' hopscotch with the bug queen you can teach those fuckin' zombies out east how to play tic-tac-fuckin'-toe!

She hoped that Hourglass would bring herself and Applejack to the city's center to make camp, because that was where she was going to go first. The route there wasn't exactly easy to take because most of the paths that led up, down, and around the city were located in convoluted junctions, at least far as she was capable of getting to by walking. If she could fly, like a gryphon could, she'd be able to reach the main streets and connections relatively easily.

Wow, sure would be nice if there was somepony around here that could fly! Oh, wait, she's off bein' helpful! Fuckin' hell, she just can't help herself. Too much to ask for her to be anything less than perfect. Too much to ask for her to just leave things be. Always gotta be pokin' her fuckin' nose around where it doesn't belong.

By the time she managed to wind her way to the city center, Winter was not only exhausted after walking for so long without a break, but she was ready to burst with pent-up frustration at the slightest provocation.

Luckily, Hourglass wasn't stupid and had set up camp in the city center, as told by the lantern light that indicated where she and Applejack were stationed. The city center had once served a double purpose as some sort of park or something, decorated with crumbling benches, broken pillars, and empty, dirty troughs that had once probably housed bushes or flowers.

"Winter!" Hourglass called with a smile, running over with the Timekeeper held in her magic. "Blimey, am I glad to see you. I've been bored out of my bloody wits, yeah? I can only play so many rounds of 'Twenty Questions' with AJ before we're out of ideas. And hey, you're back earlier than I expected. I guess Twilight's all better now?"

Winter grumbled under her breath, but nodded. "Yeah, right as rain, whatever. Did you get all the readings taken care of?"

Hourglass paused for half a second, then nodded and passed the Timekeeper over. "Sure did. I took one set when we first got here, then I took a second set the other day just to compare the first set to. I was gonna take a third set tomorrow if you didn't show up, so we can do a quickie before we leave."

"Mmhmm." Winter shook her head and popped the Timekeeper open with her magic, rubbing her hoof against the bridge of her nose. "I'll do a thorough analysis once the sandstorm's fucked off and I can get back to the TARDIS, but it won't hurt to give it a few looks for now, eh?"

As she started looking over the data, somepony cleared their throat just off to Winter's side. "Ahem? Nice ta see you too, I guess." Oh, right. Winter forgot all about Applejack. Well, not forgot about her, just ignored.

"Yes, right, hello Applejack," Winter replied, not taking her eyes off of the Timekeeper. There were quite a lot of figures and graphs that needed looking over, she couldn't get distracted—

"Sooo, are ya gonna tell us where Twilight is, or am I gonna have ta ask?"

"Hmm?"

Applejack inserted herself quite firmly in Winter's view; the Timekeeper could only block so much. "Winter, where's Twilight?"

"Oh. Right." Winter sighed and turned away from Applejack enough to regain her focus on the figures. "She stayed behind in the Gargantuan nest we passed through on the way here. Wanted to make 'friends' with the fuckin' queen, if ya can believe it."

"She what?!" Applejack blurted. "What in the hay is she thinkin'?!" She turned to Hourglass; Winter could just barely see it out of the corner of her eye. "Y'all told me them things were big ol' scary bug monsters! That kill folks!"

"That's the general gist of them, yeah," Winter muttered.

"And you just left her there?!"

Winter rolled her eyes and redirected her attention to Applejack now; the figures could wait until she dealt with the distraction; the annoying, stupid-accented distraction. "I left her with Aculeata, yes. That's the name of the Gargantuan queen that's goin' through some sort of mutation process and is a lot smaller than the ones Hourglass probably told you about."

"What in the hay does her bein' smaller have ta do wit' anything?"

Hourglass interjected, "She might have been smaller, Winter, but didn't she still have lots of, um… pointy bits? I know she let us go when we passed through before, but what about all of her eggs? That's still a lot of Gargantuans, even if they're smaller than what we're used to. Twilight can't handle them all on her own."

"Right, the eggs. They hatched, I guess. All the hatchlings are dead," Winter said with a half-hearted shrug; that would be the end of it, she hoped. "It's just Aculeata now, and Twilight figures she can handle her if anythin' happens, so fuck it, I didn't argue it more than I had to. Not that it would have done any good."

"All of her young… died?" Hourglass frowned. "Oh wow. I mean, I hate to sound like a jerk by saying that I'm not really sad to see a bunch of those monster bugs go, but I dunno, it still sounds bad when you put it like that…"

"And you left Twi alone with this queen or whatever?" Applejack snorted, stepping towards Winter and standing tall. "A queen that has sharp, pointy bits 'n' such, and that can spit poisonous acid or whatever? 'Cause that's what Hourglass tol' me those things can do. And ya left Twi wit' one o' those? Alone? Just makin' sure I got this right."

"Hey, I tried to argue against it," Winter said, ignoring Applejack's attempt at bravado; the annoying distraction wasn't going away, and that just made it more annoying. "But she said somethin' about the queen grievin' over the kids or somethin' like that, and she was convinced that she had to be there to console her. You know, 'cause she's the wonderful Princess of Friendship and all that bullshit."

Applejack blinked. "Wait, she's tryin' ta make friends with this thing?"

"You said it was… mourning? Over what, the dead hatchlings?" Hourglass asked.

"Yeah, that's what Twilight is convinced was happenin', so I said fuck it, let her do what she wants. She doesn't listen to me anyway." With a snide look at Applejack, she added, "Y'know, 'cause if she did, you wouldn't fuckin' be here. And then she wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. So go give her your stink eye."

Applejack seemed unperturbed by the comment, just started tapping her chin. "Well, that does sound like somethin' Twi would do. Probably figured Fluttershy would want her ta do it if'n these critters are anythin' like her animals." She shook her head. "I don't like it, but Twi knows what she's doin'. She ain't gonna be there long anyhow, right? We're goin' back ta get 'er?"

Winter supposed that she should be surprised that Applejack would just agree to it so quickly, just like Twilight said she would. Because of course, Twilight was perfect, everypony should want to listen to her and do whatever she thought was right, right?

"In the morning, yes," Winter huffed, popping her Timekeeper back open to get back to studying the charts and figures. "And don't complain about it. I'm fuckin' rooted after havin' to climb and walk my way over here seein' as Twilight wasn't around to do her fuckin' job and fly me."

Hourglass let out a breath. "Well, at least that's all settled then. If you're sure Twilight's okay, Winter, then I trust your judgment."

"Mmhmm."

Applejack's snorted, and rather loudly at that, and she again forced herself into Winter's view. "Winter, y'all mind if you 'n' me had a lil' talk? Now, preferably?"

Winter rolled her eyes; the distraction just would not go away! "Applejack, I've got to give these numbers a lookover before I get to bed. Whatever asinine shit you have to talk about can wait until morning after I've had a cup of coffee and a good night's sleep. So if you don't mind?" She turned away, but Applejack moved herself back over in front of her. "Look, mate—"

"Don't you 'mate' me, Winter. Don't you give me that load o' horseapples," Applejack said firmly, a twinge of anger in her tone. "Ya don't gotta talk, ya just gotta listen, 'cause I'm gonna say my piece—"

Winter scoffed and walked off. "I don't have time for this."

She was surprised when Applejack snagged her by the scarf, lifted her up, and shoved her against the nearest pillar. "You're a Chronomancer, make time dagnabbit!" she snapped, fire in her eyes.

Winter snarled through clenched teeth, "Let go of me, Applejack."

"Or what? You gonna hit me? Gonna try 'n' knock me 'round wit' yer magic? Go on then, do it. You're already actin' like a lousy friend, might as well double-down on it, right?'

"What the hell are you talkin'—"

Applejack shook her head. "Don't gimme that, y'all know exactly what I'm talkin' 'bout. Ever since we popped back into yer life again you've done nothin' but act like we're lower than dirt. Now I could really give a fig how y'all talk ta me 'cause I'd just as soon wash my hooves of ya 'n' be done with it, but let's look at Twilight, huh? I thought she was yer friend, but ya sure as hay ain't actin' like she is.

"Ya been talkin' to 'er like she's garbage, an' if weren't fer the fact that I done been raised right, I'd've popped you good the second ya called her an idiot. I held myself back, but you're makin' it real hard fer me not ta whoop yer sorry behind inta next week just ta teach ya some doggone manners.

"Not ta mention that ya don't even seem ta care what happens to 'er. Leavin' 'er alone in some dark cave with somethin' ya think could snap at any moment 'n' try ta kill 'er? What in the hay were you thinkin'?"

"She said you would've done the same thing, so don't get all high and mighty with me," Winter snorted.

"See, that's where you're wrong. I would've fought her on it, sure, an' I know she would've convinced me it was the right thing ta do eventually. But ya know what? I would've stayed there with 'er ta make sure she was okay, that nothin' happened ta my friend."

"She knows that I have important work to do—"

"So put it off for a minute, doggone it!" Applejack tapped her temple with her free hoof. "Holy horseapples, girl, y'all sent Hourglass ta take care o' all that already! She done got all them readings ya needed already, ya didn't need ta rush! What, so we can make it back ta the Checkpoint sooner just ta wait out the sandstorm fer longer?

"An' that's another thing! I don't much like the way y'all treat Hourglass neither."

Winter chuckled. "Now I know you're fuckin' with me. Hourglass and I are best mates, I don't treat her wrong—"

"Yeah, ya do. She just don't tell ya how it is."

Hourglass, who apparently had been witness to everything so far and hadn't said anything yet, just cleared her throat to get Applejack's attention. "Um, can we… not involve me? I don't have any issues with Winter. What're you talking about, AJ?"

"See?" Winter snorted. "You've just got beef with me 'cause ya don't like how I tell it like it is to Twilight. You put her on some sort of fuckin' pedestal an' ya think you can talk to me like you've even got a fuckin' clue what's goin' on in my world. Maybe if you were less of a self-righteous bitch you'd understand that."

"You done?" Applejack asked, still firm and clearly angry but not as much as she could be.

"What?"

"I hear what Hourglass is sayin', but that's 'cause she's too dang nice for her own good. But I can read 'tween the lines, an' I can see what you're doin' to 'er even if she can't see it her own dang self." Applejack poked Winter in the chest; not hard, but it made a point. "Ya think you're a good friend to 'er? Then why haven't you ever talked with 'er 'bout her past?"

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Her past? The fuck are you talkin' about?"

"You know dang well what I mean. She tol' me all about what happened to 'er, how she lost everything, how much it bothers her to this day."

"Oh, that." Winter rolled her eyes. "She's over that shit. What're you on about, mate? Sure, she remembers more about her old life than I do mine, but she's over it now, eh? No sense in dwellin' on the past, not like you can change it anyway."

"Actually, Winter… um… I'm not really over it…" Hourglass muttered, scuffing her hoof on the floor. "I talked it over with AJ and she… she helped me realize that it's still affecting me. I still remember everything too well."

"Huh? But you said—"

"That's because you told me to just forget about it!" Hourglass blurted. "Bloody hell, any time I'd ever bring something up, you'd tell me not to dwell on it. 'That's our motto: stiff upper lip', you said. I thought that if I kept trying to talk about it… that you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore. That I'd just be annoying you."

Winter blinked. "Hourglass, I… I didn't know—"

"An' that's the problem, ain't it?" Applejack snorted. "You didn't know, 'cause ya didn't ask. And what ya did know, ya done told her ta bottle it all up an' forget about it. That's not what friends do, Winter. Friends help their friends through that kind o' stuff. They're supposed to be a shoulder to cry on when their friends need 'em to be."

"Fuck off," Winter snarled. "That's not how it is at all. Tell her, Hourglass."

Hourglass didn't say anything, but she looked hurt; she couldn't even look Winter in the eye, and that made Winter tense up. She'd never have expected that kind of reaction, not from Hourglass.

Winter turned back to Applejack, eyes narrowed. "So what, you've been fillin' her head with a load of bullshit? Is that it? Tryin' to turn her against me 'cause ya don't like me getting mad at Twilight?"

"Yeah, that's right. Just brush it off, pretend it's somepony else's fault."

"Fuck. Off."

Applejack shook her head. "I've been hearin' stories, ya know. 'Bout how things're goin' round these parts? Hourglass don't know a whole lot, but she told me enough. She told me what you've been doin' all these years, so if ya wanna know what really makes you a lousy friend, let me give ya the works.

"I don't really know how hard it was or how much time she really spent on it, but I've listened ta how Twilight talked about that there spell that sent us here. Years, she said. She done worked on it fer years, an' she just only managed ta get it workin' a couple o' weeks back. And she even told ya herself why she did it: she just wanted to see you again. Even if it was only for a minute.

"I can't pretend ta understand why Twi likes ya—'specially if you've been an ornery lil' jerk all this time—but she spent years of her life clingin' ta memories she made here. We all did, 'cause that's what friends do fer one another even if they're far, far apart."

Applejack roughly let Winter down from the pillar at last. "You, though? You've been spendin' the last seven years tryin' ta forget it ever happened. Haven't ya?" She grunted in disgust. "Some friend you are."

Applejack didn't even look back as she headed back over towards the little makeshift campsite that had been made. Winter snarled; she wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn't even think of what to say. She couldn't even say that she was angry, just… well, she wasn't sure what emotion this was, actually. Something between anger and… disappointment.

She looked over at Hourglass, and her friend just looked back for a moment, then wordlessly hung her head and also trotted back to the camp.

With that, Winter picked up her Timekeeper—she'd dropped it when Applejack lifted her up—and popped it open again, returning to her measurements and figures again in an attempt to get some work done… and to try and distract herself from the sinking feeling she had in her gut.

Chapter Eleven: Ravage

Twilight couldn't remember the last time that she'd pulled an all-nighter. She knew that it definitely hadn't been in the past year, as ironic as that was; one would think that she'd have lost sleep trying to come to terms with her newly-appointed position as leader of all of Equestria, but that simply wasn't the case. Had she even pulled one since ascending into an alicorn? Maybe that was the last time, actually, the night that that had all happened; she'd definitely been losing some sleep trying to fix Starswirl's spell.

If that was the case, then tonight was the last time she'd done anything like that in a very long time.

Logically, a portion of her brain, the ancient mammalian part that she and all ponies still shared with common animals, told her that it was because she needed to be awake and alert in the presence of a predator. Any movement that came from Aculeata could be the one that led to her killing and eating Twilight! Fight-or-flight responses were just natural, no matter how deeply buried they were or how much one tried to suppress them.

The rest of Twilight, though, was in full Friendship Mode; Aculeata hadn't given her reason yet to believe that she had any intention of harming her new pony "friend", no matter what Winter had said about what Gargantuan instincts were really like. Aculeata was different, not just in appearance but in mannerisms and movements; maybe she could hurt and kill somepony, but that wasn't who she was anymore.

The queen was clearly still becoming accustomed to her new, smaller size, and Twilight could relate. She followed the queen around the remains of the nest and watched her take step after step across the slime-covered cavern floor; she was most definitely a creature that was not originally or naturally quadrupedal, and the process that had brought her to this point had not been swift nor pleasant.

She didn't look like she was in pain, but there was just an oddly pony-like discomfort to how she moved, as if she was constantly in a state of just waking up and not having her morning coffee. Twilight could definitely relate.

At one point, Twilight offered Aculeata some of the ration bar that Winter had left for her. The queen was curious about the mid-sized square, which was composed of assorted ingredients mixed and pressed together into what could almost be considered a cookie. They weren't gourmet dining or anything like that, but they were good for traveling and survival purposes; bringing real food on these trips didn't seem as practical.

Anyway, the queen seemed curious about the hunk that Twilight had broken off for her and offered in her hoof, obviously because she'd never seen anything like it before. She didn't really "sniff" the bar—whatever means she had of judging its smell weren't apparent to Twilight—but she did give it a tentative poke with one of her legs.

Satisfied that it wasn't dangerous, Aculeata then took the hunk in her mandibles and drew it back through to her mouth, like an ant. It tickled.

The noise the queen made was… strange, to say the least, but Twilight could tell it was a happy noise, the sort of "yummy" sound a pony would make when trying good food for the first time. She even seemed to look at Twilight with a look that said, "may I have another?"

So, Twilight gave the queen a little smile and offered her another hunk of the bar; she wasn't too hungry and the bar was large enough to break off several pieces like this without worrying. If Winter wanted to get upset about her "wasting" food by feeding the Gargantuan, then so be it.

Just thinking about Winter being upset, though, made Twilight sad. It was one thing to be mad about what had happened, but she'd never seen anypony—at least not a friend of hers—get quite this mad about anything before. Twilight could justify it up to a point, having gotten mad at her friends at times because of some mistake they had made, but it was usually fleeting and forgotten soon enough; no permanent harm had ever been done, so there was no sense in staying mad.

It hurt having Winter yell at her and call her stupid. It hurt a lot.

She was surprised when Aculeata, her horn glowing a pinkish-blue, nudged the side of Twilight's face with her own. The queen didn't have a layer of flesh or a coat of hair or fury, so the texture was odd, yet not unpleasant. A smooth, chitinous feeling, like the shell of a crustacean. This didn't detract from how gentle it was, not one bit.

It was an odd gesture, too, the sort that a pony would make to comfort a friend, and one that Twilight had definitely not taught to the queen—Twilight couldn't reach up to do it without flying, and she was hesitant to make the sudden movements needed to do so, lest she frighten Aculeata. It begged the question, did Aculeata somehow know that Twilight was sad? Was she trying to help comfort her?

The thought alone brought a smile to her face. Not just because she was being proven right—Acuelata did understand her somehow and was trying to communicate—but because that sort of thing was something that a friend would do. Aculeata considered her a friend, or at least trustworthy enough to be friendly with like this. The scientist side of Twilight was screaming about how big of a breakthrough this was; the princess side was doing likewise.

Then, Aculeata rose up sharply and suddenly, looking off towards the far end of the cavern. Without a sound, she then just bolted off into the darkness, where the light of the bioluminescent slime didn't reach. Twilight wanted to call out and ask her not to go, but it all happened so fast that she'd barely been able to react at all; the queen moved awfully quick for a creature of her size. Maybe that was part of what made Gargantuans so dangerous?

It was soon apparent what had spooked her, though, when Twilight heard hoofsteps and voices coming from the far end of the cavern, from where Winter had left to make for the ruins. With a small smile, she made her way over towards the sounds and was glad to hear the familiar voices of Applejack, Hourglass, and Winter growing louder by the second, until they were in the cavern as well, just waiting to be greeted.

"You're back!" Twilight exclaimed with a smile and nod to Winter. "That didn't take as long as I thought it would. Or maybe I'm just not measuring the time correctly. I didn't exactly get any sleep. What time is it, even?"

"Three hours, fifteen minutes, twenty-two seconds after sunrise," Winter said automatically. Twilight hadn't forgotten that Winter, as a Chronomancer, had an internal clock more accurate than any sundial.

"Yeah, I can imagine trying to get to sleep in all of this muck wouldn't exactly be easy," Hourglass said, looking out at the slime-coated floor.

The poor mare looked like she was going to retch just from looking at the stuff, and the smell certainly couldn't be helping any. Still, that seemed a little too weak-stomached in Twilight's opinion, not if she was able to last this long. The stuff wasn't that disgusting; it's not like it was vomit or anything.

"Hoo doggie, you done spent all night in this here cave?" Applejack said, fanning her hat in front of her nose. "It smells like somepony stepped on a duck."

"You get used to it," Twilight lied, wrinkling her nose a little.

Truth be told, as much as she wanted to stay and make sure that Aculeata was going to be okay—she wasn't, nopony would be after losing their children all at once like that, but Twilight could at least lead her along the road to recovery—one part of Twilight was looking forward to leaving as soon as possible: her nose.

"And other than that, you're alright? Ya look fit as a fiddle, but I figured I'd ask just ta make sure," Applejack said with a little smile.

"I'm doing fine now, Applejack, thank you," Twilight replied, returning the smile. "I guess it's just a benefit of being an alicorn these days: I heal faster. I'll be honest, I've never really tested to see if that was the case until now. It's always nice to learn something new about yourself, don't you think?"

Hourglass raised an eyebrow. "How would you test to see if you healed faster anyway? Not injuring yourself, I hope? Self-harm is typically not a good sign of mental health and stability."

Twilight shook her head. "Oh, goodness no. I suppose that I would have to compare an accidental injury that I received in recent years to a similar injury that I'd received when I was still just a unicorn."

"Could always ask Derpy Hooves ta come over 'n' drop an anvil on yer head," Applejack snickered.

Hourglass's eyes widened. "Wait, what? Somepony dropped an anvil on your head? How in the bloody hell are you still alive?"

Twilight giggled and opened her mouth to reply, then paused as the sudden thought struck her. "I… uh, I don't know? That was a weird day. Weirder than a typical day is when Pinkie gets involved anyway, but that one was especially odd. Hmm." She shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just remembering things wrong."

"Gettin' your head crushed by an anvil would do that to ya," Winter snorted, not really angry or impatient but some sort of… odd, neutral emotion that Twilight couldn't place. "If we're all done spoutin' nonsensical bullshit that sounds like it belongs in a bloody cartoon, we should get movin'. No sense havin' a chat around here."

"Y'know, I'm inclined ta agree wit' that," Applejack said, giving Winter her own oddly neutral look. "Smartest thing I've done heard out o' yer mouth all day, I reckon. 'Course, you've been awful quiet since this mornin', so I guess that goes without sayin'."

Hourglass cleared her throat. "I'm with these two; I don't want to stick around for longer than we have to. And, um, if anypony here happens to be willing to do a filly a favor and carry me across this muck, I'd owe you so many favors. All the favors."

Applejack snickered and gestured for Hourglass to come over. "Shucks, girl, go ahead 'n' hop on. I gotcha."

"You're sure? I was just joking. Kind of." Hourglass glanced at Twilight. "I was honestly expecting Twilight to offer, actually." Then, swiftly back to Applejack. "N-no offense. It's just that I'm not exactly a lightweight— What am I saying, I watched you lift a two-ton slab of solid rock. You're sure, though? I'm not bugging you with this, am I?"

"Sure as shootin' sugarcube. Won't be no different from when I carry Apple Bloom up to 'er room when she stays up too late, even nowadays." Applejack tapped her chin and looked Hourglass over briefly. "I mean sure, you're a lil' bigger than she is, but it won't be no trouble. Just don't lose yer lunch all o'er me, got it?"

Hourglass nodded. "Got it. Thanks, AJ."

Winter rolled her eyes. "Well, aren't you two sweet?"

She shook her head and looked up at Twilight, and she certainly looked like she was about to make some sort of quip. But then she stopped, her cheeks just a bit red, before she cleared her throat and walked past Twilight and the others into the cave at a remarkably quick pace; she could give Aculeata a run for her money.

"Welp! Time to move!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow, confused as she'd ever been. She wanted to ask what Winter was going to say, but the smaller mare was moving too fast to even try it. Applejack followed behind her, certainly not as quickly but still at a reasonable pace, Hourglass on her back clinging on for… well, not dear life but clearly trying to avoid focusing on all of the glowing green gunk around them.

Twilight shook her head and followed after them, but not before looking out into the cavern to see if she could see any sign of Aculeata. She didn't, sadly. She didn't like the thought of leaving the queen alone to stew with her own thoughts like this, but she knew that she couldn't stay here forever. Maybe after they'd all returned to the Checkpoint and settled down, she'd come back. She made a mental note to memorize the route as they went.

"I'll be back, Aculeata!" she called into the cavern. "I promise! I'll be back!"

She knew the queen couldn't understand her words, maybe couldn't even hear her depending on where she'd run off to, but she had to say something. Hopefully she would understand what it was that Twilight was trying to communicate to her, that Twilight wasn't abandoning her, that she wasn't going to leave her forever, that they were still friends and that friends looked out for one another.

Twilight could only hope.

*****

Twilight was pleased to say that making their way back through the caverns towards the Checkpoint was both uneventful and actually quite enjoyable. True, Winter was being quieter now that she had even been while traveling alone with Twilight, but Twilight found it hard to really want to concern herself with that until they made it back. Applejack and Hourglass were more than enough to fill the silence.

Seeing the two on such friendly terms made Twilight smile at every turn. Applejack was probably the one amongst her friends that could make new friends the fastest, and yes, that included Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy was too quiet, so many ponies would just ignore her; Rarity was too judgmental at times and drove some ponies away because of it; Rainbow was too brash and bold, which sometimes frightened off the more introverted sorts; Pinkie had the same problem, but it was more that she was too pushy.

Twilight tended to find a medium between Fluttershy and Rarity at times, at least when she was just getting started out with this newfangled "friendship" thing. She got better at it. Eventually.

Applejack, though, just had a warmth and hospitality to her that made her just seem so… inviting. The only ponies that didn't seem to want to be her friends right off the bat were judgmental sorts who looked down on her for one reason or another, but then those sorts were like that with a lot of ponies, not just Applejack. Even Rarity was able to look past all of their differences so that they could be friends and stay friends to this very day.

So it didn't surprise her at all that Applejack and Hourglass were pretty close already. She wondered what had been the piece that started it all, but she figured that she'd ask Applejack once they had a chance to speak in private. Not because she was trying to be secretive or anything, but because she could tell Winter was… unhappy that the other two were on such friendly terms so fast. Maybe even a little jealous?

Even as the Princess of Friendship, she still didn't understand why the concept had to be so darn complicated. Why couldn't everything be as simple as a book, where all of the world was in black and white? That sort of thing she could deal with easily, it was just a matter of applying logic and practicality. But gray? She didn't always know how to deal with gray.

Today, as they were making their way through the last set of caverns that they needed to move through, Applejack brought something to the group's attention. Every now and then she'd stop and look back along the route they'd taken, stare off into the distance for a moment or two, then shake her head and carry on. This time, though, she seemed to have something to offer up:

"I think somepony's followin' us," she said, eyebrow raised as she looked off into the darkness behind them.

"How do you figure that? Nopony's out here because of that big sandstorm," Hourglass said, stepping alongside Applejack to try and see if she could see whatever it was that Applejack saw. "I don't see anything back there. Do you?"

"Naw, it ain't nothin' I can see," Applejack said, shaking her head. "Call it a gut feelin', I guess. I dunno, I just got a strange feelin' that there's somepony or something back there. Not a gut feelin', actually, it's like I can feel it in my hooves. Kinda like feelin' a stampede 'fore it comes barrelin' down at ya."

"Well there definitely isn't a stampede coming our way. Are you sure you're not just seeing things? Or, uh… feeling things, I guess?"

Applejack nodded firmly. "As sure as water's wet."

"I believe you, Applejack," Twilight said, setting her hoof on the earth pony's shoulder. "I know you wouldn't make something like that up."

"Can you feel anything, Twilight?" Hourglass asked, tapping her hooves on the floor. "Because I don't."

Twilight shook her head. "No. But I think I know what it is, or rather, who: Aculeata. I think that maybe she's following us. Or following me, specifically."

Hourglass suddenly looked quite nervous. "Blimey, you really think so? What're we going to do? Should we run?"

"Oh, no, I don't think that'll be necessary at all. I don't think Aculeata's following us with any intention of hurting anypony. I don't know exactly why she's following us, but I'm absolutely certain that she means us no harm."

"Guess ya really did make a friend with the Gargantuan queen, didn't you?" Winter quipped, one of the few things she'd said all afternoon.

"Maybe that's why she'd followin' ya?" Applejack suggested, taking a moment to fan herself with her hat. "Ya done made yerself a friend an' she didn't wanna see ya go. Maybe she wants to say goodbye or somethin'?"

Twilight tapped her chin. "Hmm. Or, it could be something similar to how certain animals react to Fluttershy's care. I know that there are plenty of animals that she's tended to over the years that have tended to become permanent fixtures around her home because they feel so comfortable around her. Like her bear friend, Harry."

"Ah yeah, he's always hangin' 'round her cottage, ain't he? Didn't I see 'er givin' him a massage just the other week?"

Hourglass raised an eyebrow. "Your friend Fluttershy has a pet bear?"

"Oh, he's not a pet," Twilight said with a grin. "Just a friend. He lives nearby and he's his own, um… bear. But if you wanted to find him, you'd probably have better luck checking Fluttershy's cottage first rather than his own cave. They're really good friends. All of her animal friends are."

"And you think Aculeata is, what, following you 'home'? Like a puppy?"

Twilight shrugged. "Could be. I don't know how intelligent she really is, but I know that she understands a lot of the things I was trying to convey to her. She's certainly not a mindless killing machine, I'll tell you that much, and she's definitely not 'just' an animal, either." With a look off into the darkness, she added, "So if she is following us… I'm not frightened. She's a friend."

Once that was settled, the group continued along through the tunnels, even taking time to make camp for a little late lunch. From there, they were mere hours away from the cavern's exit, where Twilight would then escort the group through the sandstorm the short remaining distance—relatively-speaking—to the Checkpoint, at last. Then they could all just relax and wait out the sandstorm, hopefully like the rest of her friends were doing.

Twilight was glad that everything was going so smoothly, considering how tumultuous events had been early on—

Then there was a strange whistling noise, followed by a loud kaboom.

Twilight raised a protective shield to prevent her and her friends from being sprayed with rock as the tunnel ahead collapsed. It was no natural, ordinary cave-in, that was for certain; there had been no shaking to precede it, the rocks exploded outwards as though driven by some unseen force, and there was a distinct shockwave indicating an explosion.

Once the dust cleared and the shock wore off, everypony got a chance to look ahead and see that the tunnel was utterly impassable.

"Stay right where you are!" shouted a voice from above.

Twilight and the others glanced up to see a pegasus mare fluttering above them. She had a cobalt coat, though her wings and face were all that Twilight could see of that due to the armor she was wearing over the entirety of her body, most of her head included. She was far up enough that Twilight couldn't make out anything else about her, other than the weapons she had attached to her hooves, blades of some kind.

There was other movement from nearby as well, which drew Twilight's attention in several directions. From behind a rocky outcropping to her right, she could see an armored stallion—an earth pony, it seemed like—crouched and aiming some sort of long-tubed… gun? She recalled the name of the contraption from her last visit. A long-barreled gun, a "rifle", if she was correct. He was aiming it right at her.

To her left there was another earth pony stallion, also armored, who was now standing firmly on top of another outcropping. Slung over his shoulder was a large, long tube that Twilight didn't recognize, but one end of it was smoking, and into the other end he was shoving some sort of firework-like object.

From behind her, Twilight heard more movement, and she saw a unicorn stallion there, not as well-armored as the other three and only carrying a smaller gun, a "pistol", but in his hoof, not with his magic. Twilight didn't know if this unicorn could even still use magic, since his horn was covered in an unsightly crystalline substance, one that reminded her of the black crystals connected with King Sombra back home.

Whoever they were, they were definitely not friendly, so Twilight kept her barrier up.

"And who the fuck are you supposed to be, eh?" Winter snapped, looking up at the pegasus. "What do you want?"

"Our business isn't with you, little filly," the pegasus mare said, "so keep your mouth shut and let the adults do the talking."

"I am an adult, ya fuckin' drongo."

"Hmm. Could've fooled me." The pegasus shrugged. "Whatever, you're not important, so shut your mouth before somepony gets hurt. Like yourself." She then turned her attention fully to Twilight and pointed right at her. "She's the one we want. Lavender wings with a lavender horn; just the mare we've been searching for."

"Me?" Twilight asked, giving the pegasus a curious look; how would anypony even know she was here? "What do you want with me? I don't even know who you are."

"What we want with you isn't important. What's important is that we want you to come with us, and we don't want there to be a fuss about it."

"And why would I want to come with you?"

"Because if you don't come along quietly, we might have to get… violent. And if things get violent, somepony might get hurt. One of your little friends, maybe?" The pegasus grinned, showing off just one row of teeth. "So, what's it gonna be, hmm? We don't have to get violent, do we?"

Winter snorted and turned to Twilight. "Don't buy it, Twilight. The second you walk out of here with them they're gonna try—emphasis on try—to kill the rest of us. Classic bullshit scenario, covered this shit in basic combat trainin', not even advanced classes."

"I don't make it a habit to negotiate with ponies who intend on hurting me or my friends," Twilight said with a nod, her focus locked on the pegasus. "If they had one of you being held as a hostage, maybe I would, but they made the mistake of not separating us."

"Seems like a pretty big oversight there, if ya ask me," Applejack muttered.

"No deal!" Twilight shouted up. "In case you haven't noticed, my friends and I are all protected under my barrier. You might have blocked the path forward, but we can just look for another way around. You're welcome to follow us, but believe me, I can keep this barrier up for as long as necessary."

"Yeah, you wanker!" Hourglass shouted up at the pegasus, shaking her hoof. "What stupid gits, wasting our bloody time like this."

The pegasus smiled wickedly. "Ah, you think this is some kind of pissant standoff. You think that we've made some idiotic blunder. I get it." She drifted down to the ground level, retracting the weapons attached to her hooves so that they didn't scrape against the floor. "Kudos to you, you've spotted the flaw in our plan."

Hourglass snorted. "Yeah! So just back off and get out of here!"

Twilight got a good look at the armor now. It looked like it was made of… obsidian, or some material that was very similar to it. There were lots of jagged edges to it, and it looked like it had been fused together from several different pieces that were all of varying sizes and shapes, and not with magic either, but with some sort of bonding agent. It had to be uncomfortable.

Winter stepped forward and put herself between Hourglass and the pegasus. "You heard her. Get the fuck outta here, before things get ugly. My friend's shield doesn't block magic both ways, so I'd be more than happy to kick your sorry ass without breakin' a sweat. I'm just tryin' to play nice."

The mare's smile widened. "You would think that. This is an impressive barrier." She circled around it briefly, nodding in approval. "A good shape, plenty of integrity. I can feel how strong it is, and I'm not even a unicorn." As she came back around to Winter's side, she licked her lips. "Be a shame if it popped."

To Twilight's utter shock, the pegasus reached out and touched the barrier spell with her armor-clad hoof, and the instant she did so, the barrier just vanished. Poof, without a trace or even the slightest hint of effort or strain on the part of either party. Twilight couldn't even feel her magic flowing through her anymore, as if it was just… gone.

Winter's eyes widened; she was just as shocked as Twilight, had to be. "What the—"

Twilight's ears rung; she winced from the sheer noise; there had been a brief flash from the barrel of the earth pony's rifle.

Twilight was… well, there were a rush of emotions billowing through her. Terror. Shock. Amazement. Confusion. Pride.

Winter had caught the projectile, the "bullet", in her own magical field just an inch away from her face.

However, it definitely hadn't been easy; Twilight knew the signs of immense magical strain, and Winter was strained beyond belief at the moment. The act of catching a moving projectile at that speed and without warning was mathematically improbable; not impossible, because otherwise Winter wouldn't be standing there, teeth clenched, holding the still-spinning round in her magic for just a second before dropping it.

She was clearly in possession of supernatural reflexes.

"Oooh, now that's impressive," the pegasus cooed, giving a dramatic slow-clap. "I can think of less than ten unicorns in history who have ever been able to do that, all of them stage magicians looking to wow an audience. I've seen the recordings, even saw one of the shows myself. Bra." Another loud, single clap. "Vo."

The rifle-wielding earth pony made a few motions with his gun, reminding Twilight of how a pony re-armed a crossbow. Twilight tried to reignite her barrier, but her magic just wasn't working. What did that pegasus do to her? Was it something about the armor? That had to be it, but what kind of material could do that?

The pegasus gestured at the rifle pony, her wicked grin returning. "My buddy over there has plenty more rounds where that came from. How many of them do you think you can catch in a row? Two? Three?" She licked her lips again. "Some of those magicians tried for two. You ever see a pony get his brains splattered all over a crowd? I have. I was in the splash zone."

"That's enough," Twilight said, taking a step forward; without her magic, she couldn't think of any other alternative to keep her friends safe, no matter how much she doubted they would be. "Stop this. You proved your point; I'll go with you."

"Twilight, what did we just talk about?" Winter said through clenched teeth. "You're not doin' shit."

"What choice do I have, Winter?"

"You let your bitch speak for you, Twilight?" the pegasus asked, still not looking at Twilight and keeping her eyes on Winter. "You heard her, little filly. She's coming with us, or we'll see if you can catch another bullet from my friend over there." She then tilted her head towards the unicorn. "Or maybe you wanna try to catch one from him? He's had a bead on your earth pony pal the whole time."

For emphasis, the pistol-wielding unicorn shifted his pistol two inches to the right and fired a shot, then back to the left in one swift motion; Twilight tried to ignite her horn, and she could feel a little bit of magic starting to work its way though, but she wasn't fast enough. All she got was a sputter of sparks.

Twilight heard Applejack wince, then heard the bullet strike the far wall. A glance towards Applejack told Twilight that she was physically fine, apart from maybe some ringing in her ears and a trickle of blood from where the bullet grazed her. There was no possible way to describe just how relieved Twilight felt in that instant.

"Two inches to the left and the next bullet's got gray matter all over it. Think you can catch that one?" the pegasus taunted. "I'd be real fucking impressed. A behind-the-back blind capture. Yeah, super impressed."

"Please! Stop this!" Twilight pleaded. Her magic was feeling like it was coming back; maybe if she could stall—

"You ain't takin' Twilight," Applejack hissed. She glanced at Twilight, a fearless confidence in her gaze. "Her friends won't let anythin' happen to 'er."

Twilight raised an eyebrow; what was with that odd sparkle in Applejack's eye?

"Was I talking to, hick?" The pegasus snarled as she looked right at Applejack. "Another word out of you, and my friend over there—"

Twilight was just as surprised as pretty much everypony else must have been when the ground underneath the pistol-wielding unicorn suddenly gave way into a sinkhole. He didn't even scream, or if he did, nopony heard it.

"What the f—" the pegasus blurted.

It seemed that Applejack wasn't surprised in the least by the sudden change to the situation, because at the exact moment that it happened, she leapt forward and clocked the pegasus across the mouth so hard that the mare actually stumbled back several steps.

"Twi!" Applejack shouted, pointing at the blocked tunnel. "Clear a path!"

Twilight didn't hesitate to ignite her horn, and she was glad that her magic was working again, even if weaker than usual. She fired a blast of light at the collapsed tunnel. "Go!" she shouted, gesturing with her wings towards the others as she stepped forward to shield them with her body if necessary. "Run!"

"Shoot them, dammit!" the pegasus shouted at the rifle pony as she rose to her hooves and extended her blades. "Don't let them get away!"

The rocket-wielding earth pony fired another rocket towards the tunnel; Twilight heard the whistling whine and, horrified, waited for the explosion.

But Winter fired a blast of magic at the rocket, not one intended to detonate or destroy it, but to catch it. Twilight was scared for a second; but Winter was apparently stronger than she looked, as she had just enough magic not to stop the rocket, but to adjust its trajectory just enough that it curved and flew towards the other end of the room.

The rifle pony had to run and leap out of the way to prevent himself from being caught in the blast.

"Stop them, you idiots!" the pegasus shouted.

"The target is in the way!" the rifle pony shouted back, having retaken a firing position in a rather inconvenient position, since it placed Twilight in between him and the others with no effort on her part. "Get her out of my shot!"

"Fucking worthless trash!" the pegasus snapped, taking to the air and flying towards the fleeing group. "I'll do it myself!"

Twilight didn't think she would be able to prevent the pegasus from simply circling around her to get to her friends, and she wracked her brain trying to think of an angle—

But then, she didn't need to. The ground exploded out from in between her and the pegasus, and the pegasus was just barely quick enough to avoid being sprayed with dirt and rock. Or, more importantly, being struck by what climbed out of the new hole in the floor.

Twilight's eyes widened, though she was shielding them from dirt and rock herself. "Aculeata?"

There was no mistaking it; the Gargantuan queen was… here. She had been following them.

"What the fuck is that thing?!" called out the rifle pony.

"Shoot it! Shoot it!" the pegasus called out as she scrambled away.

The rifle pony did just that, but the bullets plinked harmlessly against her carapace. Aculeata responded with an insect-like screech, her horn glowing a brilliant blood red.

Twilight felt Winter grab her hoof. "Gawk less, run more!' she snapped.

"But—" Twilight started.

"C'mon!" Applejack called from the tunnel; she and Hourglass were already making their way through.

Twilight spared one look back towards the Gargantuan queen…

Then she followed her other friends, running as quickly as her hooves could take her.

~~~~~

Moments Earlier…

Dig, dig, dig. Moving ahead. Four small hooves. No, five? Six… seven. Seven hoofsteps. Three new ones. More of Friend Twilight's brood? Heard noise, big crash. Know noise, old life. Weapon. Small hooves throw. Does not hurt me. Why noise?

All stop. No more moving. Stop… food? No, fed already, smelled Friend Twilight's food. Strange rock. Tasty rock, new taste, not meat. Sleep? No, not sleep, not time. Why stop? Because noise?

New steps? Eight hoofsteps now. New ones moving, circling… predator? Friend Twilight, hooves move. Wary. Why wary… because predator? Predator not with Friend Twilight, not with brood.

Feel… many things. Black taste… fear. Do not like. Fear is… Friend Twilight. She tastes Black. Brood tastes Black. New hooves, not Black. No fear. New taste… Green. Green is… happy. New taste, happy. Green and… Red. Know Red. Red taste, anger. Taste Red on Friend Twilight's brood, too. Black and Red.

Noise. Small crash. Know noise, old life. Weapon. Small hooves throw it. Hurts children, does not hurt me. Why noise? No children here… children gone. Rival children… no, no skittering ones. No more skittering here. Much Black from Friend Twilight. Much Black… do not like. Why Black? Because noise?

Another noise, smaller crash. Do not know noise, sounds like small crash, smaller. Weapon? One of the small hooves threw. Friend Twilight… very Black. No, do not like. No more Black. Friend Twilight will not be Black.

Smaller crash was from above. One of small hooves, not Friend Twilight's brood. Dig, dig, dig! Rise up. Rock breaks, see small hooves. Horned one. Strange horn. Drag down, like old life, like old males. Not to mate. Small hooves not like old males. Soft, no shell, just flesh. Flesh tears. Horned one's mouth opens. Old life, small hooves made noise. Scream? This one makes none. Neck tears. No noise.

Moving? Friend Twilight's brood moving. Large one, plain one with strange head shell. Moves towards predator… predator moves, stumbles? Predator separated from Friend Twilight.

Friend Twilight's brood moving… flee. Much Black, less than before. Still, Black. Predator, pure Red. So much Red. Anger. Anger at Friend Twilight. Wants to hurt Friend Twilight. No steps? Predator jumps… pounces! No! No hurt Friend Twilight!

Dig, dig, dig! Rise up, surface. Predator there. Small hooves, winged one. Strange shell. Much Red. Hear Friend Twilight mouth noise, feel moving, still Black, also Green? Little Green. Fleeing. Flee, Friend Twilight. Will protect. Will keep safe.

Another small hooves, plain one, throws weapon, crash. Know noise, know weapon, old life. Hurts children. Does not hurt me. Ignore. Predator's brood. Will kill soon, threatened Friend Twilight.

See predator, predator wants to hurt Friend Twilight. Pounce… nothing. Winged one fast, flies away. Still more Red, some Black. Hear noise… shouts. Predator shouts at broodmates. Out of reach. My wings… still not work. Must reach predator. Big jump?

Crash again. Plain one throws. Does not hurt me. Much Black from plain one. Do not like, tastes bad. Turn, run, pounce. Plain one pinned. Plain one has strange shell. Know from old life. Shell useless. Strike down. Pierce through shell. Pierce. Pierce. Plain one stops moving. No more Black.

Big crash. Behind. Know noise from old life. Weapon. Small hooves throw it. Kills children, hurts old males. Does not hurt me. Black taste, less? Cannot see, smoke. Blinking, eyes still new. Smoke clears. See another plain one. This plain one threw weapon.

Much Black again. More Black than before. Turn, run, pounce… miss, this plain one is fast. This plain one has shell too. Shell useless. Plain one runs. Lash with tail, sting. Pierce shell, inject venom. Shell useless. Plain one stops moving. No more Black.

No. Still Black. Look up, predator. Predator is all Black. So much Black. Do not like, tastes bad, stomachs ache. Cannot reach, wings still not work. Predator… flees? No. Predator wants to hurt Friend Twilight. Predator will come back. No flee. Will kill.

Horn is strange now. Not used since making nest. Old life, change to new life, new horn, new body. But horn still work. Spit weaker, still work. Horn spits. Miss… no, hit predator wing! Smell flesh, hear sizzle noise. Predator falls.

Run, pounce. Predator makes noise, screams. Has claws, like old life? Queen claws kill children, kill old males, hurt me. But predator is not Queen… so does not hurt me. Predator has shell like plain ones. Different, not metal. Stone? Strange stone. Maybe not useless, maybe not hurt by claw?

But spit work. Spit work on stone, on flesh, on metal. Horn spits. Predator screams. Horn spits. Predator screams. Horn spits. Predator stops screaming. Predator stops moving. No more Black.

Look, find Friend Twilight? No… Friend Twilight flee. Predator brood dead. More predator brood? Must follow Friend Twilight, keep safe. Keep her brood safe. Friend Twilight makes Aculeata feel… Green. Happy.

*****

It was late at night when Twilight and her friends managed to cut their way along the edge of the mountains and through the sandstorm to reach the Checkpoint building.

Hourglass was thoroughly pooped, judging by how sluggish she was and how she'd barely been able to keep up most of the way; Applejack was practically unaffected by all the running they'd just done, even offering to carry Hourglass a few times so that they didn't have to stop. Even Twilight herself was feeling a little bit winded.

None of that compared to Winter though, who looked like she was ready to collapse at any moment, and yet still pushed her way forward without stopping and ignoring every offer of aid she got. Twilight could understand why she was so tired—it wasn't every day a unicorn had to catch a bullet and redirect a rocket and run for three hours straight in such a tight time span. She didn't understand why Winter wouldn't accept help from anypony, though.

But once everypony was safe within the Checkpoint walls, all of the bravado came down; even Applejack took a moment to catch her breath and rub her hooves a little. Winter, she just collapsed onto the floor inside the common room, thoroughly spent and looking like it too. Pewter was quick to start fetching a few things here and there to help the mares get comfortable for a few moments before anypony even had to say anything—though Applejack had enough in her to at least introduce herself.

Now, they all sat together in the common room in comfortable chairs and sofas around a little coffee table laden with several glasses of ice water, far more than one glass per mare.

"So, what the hell happened to get you guys in such a state?" Pewter asked, passing Winter another glass of water; yes, there was plenty of water for her too, because Pewter refused to give her a beer just yet.

"We're not really sure," Twilight muttered, rubbing her neck. "These ponies just attacked us out of nowhere, started telling me that they were gonna kill my friends if I didn't surrender. It's not the first time that I've been in a dangerous situation like that but it's the first time I really felt it, if you can understand what I mean?"

"First time you've had to deal with somepony being so direct about killing ponies close to you, I take it?"

Twilight considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Most ponies who've threatened me or my friends before are usually just threatening to hurt us in like… real general, nondescript ways."

"Yeah," Applejack agreed. "'Give us what we want, or yer friend gets it' kind o' stuff, y'know? Just causin' hurt 'n' such, not the kind o' things them folks was threatenin' ta do. Even when folks threatened ta kill us it was just… that. 'Do this or yer friend dies', yeah?"

"Nopony's ever threatened to… to 'blow brains out' before," Twilight muttered, feeling her stomach turn a bit at the thought. "And seeing them even try to do it was different, too. That was rough to watch." With a nod at Winter, she added, "You were amazing out there, Winter. I doubt that many unicorns could do what you did."

"Pretty much," Winter said, nursing her horn with an ice pack. "That bitch wasn't lyin', eh? It's mostly a stage trick, and not an easy one. Doesn't really work well in a real firefight unless in specific circumstances. Lucky for us, we were given those circumstances, though I wish I knew what the fuck happened to disable your magic, even if it was only for a minute."

"Seemed to me that it was caused by the armor. I didn't recognize the material."

"Hmm, me neither. New technomagic maybe? I'll see if Queen Blackburn or Dawn know anything about it."

"Blimey, I had no idea you were even capable of something like that," Hourglass said, sipping from her ice water. "I knew you were skilled with combat magic but that really was something else. Like something right out of a movie!"

"If you take the advanced combat courses during your next stage of training, you'll get to be that good too, mate."

"Just so we're all on the same page, the reason you were able to get away is because…" Pewter shook his head and sighed. "Go over it one more time for me?"

"That Gargantuan queen I told you about, Aculeata, made a nest down under Goldridge," Winter explained. "She's mutatin', gettin' smaller, and it must've affected her eggs 'cause all of her clutch died. Twilight and I found her grievin', and Twilight… made friends with her. Fuck, it doesn't sound any less weird no matter how many times I say it."

"And she followed you all the way out here from her nest?" Pewter asked, looking at Twilight now.

"That seems to be the case," Twilight said with a sad frown. "I hope she's alright…"

Pewter nodded. "Gargantuan queens are made of sterner stuff than you and me. I've seen vids of them taking hits from airship-grade weaponry and walking it off like you'd walk off a spitball. The only thing that can easily kill a queen that anypony knows of is another queen. Hence why the big cities have to be very specific about defenses."

"Assuming that whatever mutations got her to where she is now didn't weaken her," Hourglass said, tapping her chin. When Twilight's expression fell further, she hastily corrected herself: "Sorry! I mean, I'm sure she's fine!"

Twilight shook her head. "I really do hope so…"

"Assumin' the worst here, 'cause it pays to have all the angles," Winter said carefully, looking at Pewter, "what can we expect if those fucks come lookin' for us? They'd be stupid not to assume we'd head here."

"Well, in that case I've got some good news and bad news," he replied.

"Bad news first," Applejack grunted. "Just get it over with."

"Right. Well, the bad news is that I took an oath of sorts to make sure that the Checkpoint is forever neutral territory and that I'd take in any and all comers, no matter who they are, where they're from, what their background is, or why they're here."

Applejack balked. "So if them folks show up here, y'all gotta take 'em in?"

"Exactly. And believe me, I don't like the sound of it any more than any of you do, but it's a rule that this establishment has abided by since my father founded it. Fifty years of tradition. I'm not about to throw that out the window. If they come here seeking aid—whatever that is—I'm obligated to help."

Winter sighed and shook her head. "You and your stupid fuckin' principles…"

"Then what's the good news?" Hourglass asked.

Pewter crossed his hooves over his chest. "The Checkpoint has been considered neutral ground by both the NPAF and the Hope's Point militaries since before these peace treaties were just a dream. As such, I'm essentially my own nation in all but name; officially I'm a 'colony' of Hope's Point but they have no legal authority here.

"Because of that, the rules of the Checkpoint apply to everypony, no matter who they are or who they're affiliated with. The first rule of the Checkpoint is that there's no fighting permitted, and that includes threats of violence; I'll toss anypony out of here the instant they try anything against any of you, even verbally."

"These guys've got big ol' honkin' guns, pardner," Applejack huffed.

Pewter smirked. "And you think I don't?" He shifted in his seat slightly and adjusted his jacket so that everypony could see the firearm he had strapped to his side. "It's a modified DS-950; sucker can dent military-grade durasteel, so no body armor can withstand it."

"Wow, I didn't know you owned a gun, Pewter," Hourglass said, eyes wide as she looked at the firearm. "Spiffy."

"Yup, and I practice with it weekly. I know there're better gunslingers out there, and I've thankfully never had to use it on anypony, but I've threatened to use it more than once over the years. I can't imagine it's fun looking down the barrel."

"And if they don't take the hint?" Winter asked.

Pewter shifted the gun back underneath his jacket. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I don't want to deal with the clean-up."

"Ugh," Hourglass grumbled, slumping back in her chair. "I hate this! Why can't this bloody job just be fucking simple!"

Winter's eyes widened and her lips curled up. "Hooly dooly. There it is, your first F-word. Welcome to the fuckin' club, mate. How's it feel? Ya feel like a real mare now?"

"Sod off."

Pewter sighed and rose from his seat. "This is all quite the tale to take in, certainly more exciting and harrowing than any movie I've seen lately. You girls sound like you need a good night's rest, as well as a nice, hot meal." He started off towards the kitchen. "I can whip something up right now for everypony—"

"And no fuckin' potatoes!" Winter grunted loudly.

"Right, no potatoes," Pewter replied with a grin. "In the meantime, Winter, Twilight, you've already got your rooms together, I've just cleaned them up but otherwise left everything where you left it. Hourglass, pick a room, it's yours, you know the drill. And if somepony wants to help set one up with Applejack while I'm cooking, all the better."

"Thank ya kindly, Mister Pewter," Applejack said with a tip of her hat. "Y'all know how to show folks some o' that good ol' right-at-home hospitality."

He nodded in return. "Not at all, ma'am." Addressing the entire group, he said, "I'll call you down for dinner when it's done. Get comfy until then, but don't expect to wait too long; showers and whatnot can wait a bit."

"Ohhh ho ho, no, I'm taking my shower now," Hourglass huffed. "I'm not sitting down for a meal until I'm clean."

Winter raised her glass of water to Pewter. "Good on ya, mate. Thanks." She watched him leave out of the corner of her eye, and as soon as he was gone, she fished a flask out of her sweater pocket and took a swig.

"Winter, you shouldn't be drinking after all we've just been through," Twilight scolded.

Winter chuckled quietly, then raised her flask to Twilight. "Believe me, Twilight… I'm gonna need plenty of this for later…"

Twilight had no idea what that was supposed to mean, so she just sighed, shook her head, and rose from her chair to go find her room. She needed to get out of these sweaty clothes and back into one of those comfortable bathrobes.

*****

It was the dead of the night, and Twilight still couldn't sleep. She couldn't tell if it was nerves brought on by the experience she'd just gone through—she'd been through a lot of life-or-death situations over the years but this one was horribly unique—or because she was worried sick about Aculeata—then again, since the attackers hadn't shown up here, maybe she was okay?

Either way, it was keeping her awake.

So, Twilight did now what she always did when she couldn't sleep: she read. She hadn't finished all of the books Pewter had brought her yet, but she knew that there were plenty more where that came from; she'd seen the break room on the second floor and how there was an entire wall of books. The light of her horn was bright enough to read by but dim enough that it was pleasant to sit in bed under, and so that hopefully she wouldn't disturb anypony else.

Not that she could. Everypony had their own private rooms anyway, and they were far enough apart that nopony would see even the faintest hint of light from under her door unless they were right outside. Not only that, but Applejack was the only one on this floor anyway; Hourglass had opted for a room on the next floor up—she said the shower on that floor was better than the others and wanted a room right next it—and Winter was still on the third floor, and on the opposite end of the hall from the stairs at that.

As far as possible from Twilight's as could be.

Twilight didn't understand it, not one bit. One minute the two of them could be sharing a relatively pleasant conversation, maybe even reminiscing about old times, but the next minute Winter would just shut down and shut everypony and everything out except the mission at hoof.

Twilight wasn't sure if this was an improvement over being yelled at—it certainly still hurt a lot—but at least it was a change, right? Maybe it would change again once the sandstorm was over—ten days or so to go!—and that was all that Twilight could hope for.

The thing about reading by horn light in the dead of the night is that every single sound in your immediate vicinity is magnified. Hoofsteps down the hall would sound as loud as if they were right next to your ears; you'd know immediately if somepony forgot to turn off the water faucet in the bathroom. The wind of the sandstorm outside wasn't aggravating only because of the dampening materials that the Checkpoint was made out of.

But those same materials didn't dampen out all of the sounds outside.

As such, Twilight nearly leapt out of her bed when she heard what sounded like a faint screech off in the distance. It was so quiet that if she were asleep or doing any activity that required her to make any sort of noise, she'd have never heard it. At first she thought she'd just been hearing things and was about to return to her book, but then she heard it again.

Whatever it was, it was coming from outside the Checkpoint, and it wasn't far.

Twilight snapped her book shut and carefully, quietly, got out of bed, drew her bathrobe around her tightly and tied it, then opened her door and headed out into the hall. She waited for a few seconds to see if the noise came again… and there it was. Not louder or closer, but at least it wasn't further away. A glance down the hall told Twilight that Applejack was still asleep; there was no way she wouldn't have gotten up to investigate otherwise.

She headed for the common room next, and was surprised when a light came on in there. She didn't think anypony else was awake. But then she supposed that it made some sense that Pewter was.

"Miss Sparkle? What are you doing up?" he asked, tugging his bathrobe around him a little tighter, as if Twilight would've bothered looking. "You've had a hard day. You should be asleep."

"Can't sleep," she said with a shrug. "I was doing some light reading when I heard the strangest noise—"

There it was again.

"You heard it too?" he asked. "Well, good, then at least that means I'm not hearing things."

"What is that? Is the sandstorm causing it?"

"That storm's been raging outside for almost two weeks now, and not once have I ever heard a noise like that before. But it is coming from outside."

Twilight glanced towards the door, then back to him before tilting her head towards the door. "We should check it out. It could be somepony that's hurt and needs help."

He raised an eyebrow. "It could be, yes, and it could also be the ponies who are after you trying to draw you out into the open."

"If it were them, wouldn't you be obligated to help them? They'd be ponies in need in that case; this sandstorm is deadly!"

There was the noise again, still the same as ever.

Pewter made a show of straightening his robe. "I'm only obligated to offer help to ponies who ask for it. If the ponies who're after you don't ask me for any help, then I see no reason to risk life and limb in the sandstorm to help them." With a firm look, he added, "Though if I thought it were anypony else, that'd be a different story. But it isn't; apart from your group and theirs, there shouldn't be anypony out here."

"But what if it is?"

Pewter paused, then sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. You're right, on the off-chance that it is somepony in need, I am obligated to help." He gestured towards the door. "Normally I would take point, but your magic far surpasses my own. I'll stick with you and focus on keeping an eye out." He shifted his robe to show that he still had his gun on him. "And just in case, I'm always armed."

Twilight nodded, and she and Pewter stepped over to the front door. After he went through the process of unlocking everything, Twilight lit up her horn to create a barrier around them, and they opened the door and stepped out into the storm. It was just as strong as ever without the slightest hint of letting up, but thanks to the strength of Twilight's spell, neither she nor Pewter would feel so much as a whisper.

Once outside, they heard the noise again, much more clearly now that it wasn't filtered by the dampening materials, and boy, was it loud. Whatever was making the sound was definitely nearby, and Twilight was able to locate the source after a moment, after hearing the screech a second time.

She pointed up the side of the mountain. "It's coming from up there."

Pewter removed his gun from its holster. "Well, that's not a good sign. That means it's coming from the nearest cavern entrance, and all signs point to it belonging to your new 'friends'. Stay alert, Miss Sparkle."

"Right…"

She made her way towards the slope that led further up and followed it, Pewter right beside her; he definitely wasn't letting her stay in front of him on purpose, she was just moving faster than he was by default, by necessity. As they got further up the slope, the screech got louder, closer; they weren't far now, so she moved faster, and Pewter had to run to keep up.

As they rounded the corner ahead and turned into the cave entrance, Twilight let out a little gasp. "Aculeata!"

The Gargantuan queen was practically writhing on the floor near the cavern entrance, though she seemed to relax a little when she moved further inside. That didn't last long, though, because the queen seemed to notice her, and when it moved in her direction she let out another loud, piercing screech and crumpled to the floor and began convulsing.

Pewter, gun leveled in the queen's direction, eyes wide, was only able to mumble, "What in the—" He raised the gun, as if preparing to shoot.

Twilight pressed her hoof against Pewter's side. "Wait! Don't shoot! She's a friend!"

Pewter's eyes darted between Twilight and Aculeata for a moment, then he lowered the gun. "Wait, this is Aculeata?"

"Yes!" Twilight said. She rushed forward to crouch down beside the queen, wrapping her hooves around her. It seemed to steady her slightly; the convulsions became simple twitches and shudders, though highly uncomfortable ones. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Pewter scratched his head. "Y'know, when everypony kept saying that she was smaller, they didn't mention that she'd also started looking so much different. I assumed she still looked like a Gargantuan queen, just not as big as a mountain."

"Huh? I thought Winter would've mentioned it to you before? She said that Aculeata's been changing for weeks or more."

"Figures. Winter sometimes forgets little details." He shrugged. "Could be just that she wanted to get more information before she told me anything concrete."

Twilight set her cheek against the top of Aculeta's head, the queen didn't look injured, so why was she reacting this way? "What's wrong, Aculeata? Did you get hurt trying to protect me? What happened to you?" She looked at Pewter for a moment. "Can you help me figure out what's wrong with her? She seems like she's in pain."

Pewter nodded. "I bet it's because of the seismic generators around and under the Checkpoint."

"The what?"

"The Checkpoint is surrounded by seismic generators that create a pulsing sensation that reverberates through the earth for just over a mile around. It keeps Gargantuans out, and even queens can't stand the vibrations, so they leave me well enough alone out here. Hope's Point and New Pandemonium both use the same or similar technology."

"Can you turn it off?"

He balked. "I mean, yeah, of course I can. I've never done it before, but I know how to—"

"Do it."

"But Twilight—"

She gave him a stern, pleading look. "I'll help you figure something else out to keep the Checkpoint safe, but Aculeata isn't a threat. My friend is in pain, Pewter. Please, turn them off."

He paused, then squared his jaw, nodded, raised a protective shield around himself, and rushed off into the storm and back towards the Checkpoint, leaving Twilight alone with Aculeata; she was sure that the concept sounded insane to him, but then what wasn't a little crazy nowadays?

Twilight just kept a hold on Aculeata, the tightest, most comforting hug she could manage. "It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay," she repeated, over and over again.

She wished that Aculeata had a mane or something that she could gently stroke, like her mother used to do for her when comforting her. She settled for running her hoof along the back of the queen's neck, marveling again not only at how both pony-like and insect-like she was, but how changeling-like she was. The resemblance was more and more uncanny with every little detail she noticed.

It raised a theory in Twilight's mind: was Aculeata mutating… into a changeling? How? Why? They didn't seem particularly similar, unless one compared the Gargantuans' legendary adaptability to the changelings' shapeshifting capabilities. Were those two concepts similar enough to correlate? If so, it still didn't explain how or why the change was occurring… and according to Winter, only in-between the last time Twilight and her friends were here, and now.

There had to be a connection. But what?

Then, Aculeata seemed to relax; the seismic generators must've been turned off.

Twilight continued to stroke the queen's neck, keeping herself as close as possible as she could. "See? I told you it was going to be okay."

Aculeata gave a little… chirp, or something like that, clicking her mandibles a few times and making a few other noises that Twilight couldn't understand. But it didn't matter if they couldn't share words with one another. All that mattered to Twilight was that her friend was safe and that she knew that Twilight was here for her. No matter what.

Chapter Twelve: Reunion

Golden Dawn went about her nightly routine before bedtime as she always did, though she did spend a little longer in the shower than usual. The hot water was soothing, and the pulse setting on the showerhead did wonders for the tenseness in her neck and shoulders brought on by a day's worth of stress. She was considering requisitioning a standard neck massager to use during the day at this point.

She always felt the need to get extra clean whenever she was required to have private call meetings with Treasurer Vendetta, this time over the particulars of reopening after the lockdown. The way the stallion looked at her disgusted her to her very core; how was it that he could make her feel the need to wash herself just with words and looks alone?

It certainly didn't help matters that every time she looked at him she remembered their last in-person confrontation. How was it that any pony could become such a vulgar, repulsive creature and yet still adhere to the public's standards of attractiveness? Weren't vile individuals such as him supposed to be vile in appearance as well?

The sandstorm was dying down at last; meteorologists both here and in Hope's Point had predicted that tonight would be the last day anypony had to deal with it. As such, a gradual reopening of businesses and residences was best so as not to overwhelm the city with floods of citizens all at once; the Inner Districts would reopen first so that the city's elite could return to normalcy, followed by the Mid Districts.

The Outer Districts had technically never been on lockdown, so no reopening order was needed. The citizens living out there knew better of their own accord not to go outside during the sandstorm, and there was little out there to place into lockdown anyway.

Once she was satisfied with her comfort level, she dressed for bed in her warmest, softest robe and set up her record player to lull her to sleep, this time with a collection of music from an old ballet. From there, it was a simple matter of focusing on the music in order to drift away into slumber, and from there a simple matter of focusing on her inner essence so that she could reach out to contact her father.

As usual, she found herself in an empty black void occupied at first only by herself and her bed, but upon hopping out and onto the "floor", the bed vanished and she was alone. Her father did not take long to respond to her call, appearing before her in an instant, as naturally as if he had always occupied that space.

"Father," she greeted with a polite curtsey. "I believed it prudent to provide you with updated information regarding our mission, insofar as my own role in it. I was also hoping for a similar update from you so that I may make adjustments to my upcoming schedule if necessary."

Silvertongue tilted his head slightly, then nodded; there was no smile on his face but Dawn could still sense that he approved. "Well spoken, dear. Straightforward and to the point. Business must take precedence in times such as these." He stepped around her, setting his hoof on her shoulder in the process. "If I may first provide you with my details?"

"Of course, Father, whatever you desire is satisfactory to me," she replied, turning to face him.

"My search for Nihila has provided me with disappointingly little information as to her whereabouts, her plans, or her capabilities. There is no sign of her that I have been able to uncover, nothing whatsoever. I know that her life force has not yet been extinguished—I can feel it in my soul—and yet I have no proof. My frustration is… palpable."

Indeed, Dawn could taste how frustrated he was as he said the words; an unpleasant, bitter sensation, sour like a lemon but lacking the satisfying sweetness that lingered. Her metaphysical connection with him allowed sensations like this to transfer over; sometimes they disturbed her, other times pleased her, but they always intrigued her.

"There have been fluctuations in the Darkness of our world as of late, but nothing concrete, nothing of a capacity large enough to suggest that it is her doing. I fear that our new friend Pandemonia is affecting my ability to sense Darkness accurately, an ironic bit of misfortune." He shook his head. "Her presence in the physical realm still confounds me; who is she? Why do I not know anything about her history?"

Dawn frowned, but nodded. "It is indeed quite a vexing set of circumstances, Father, but if I might alleviate some of your woes in that regard, I have it under good authority that Queen Blackburn's investigation into her and her past is ongoing and proceeding well. My latest report on the matter indicates that there should be an update within the next few days."

"Then it is fortuitous that you two are allies, even if only in this matter for the time being." With another tilt of his head, he added, "Though I would advise you to be courteous moving forward in your peace proceedings. Queen Blackburn has proven to me that she is both cautious and resourceful, and if given reason to think your intentions are anything but genuine, she will not hesitate to back out of your peace arrangements."

"I will be certain to do so, Father. I have no intention of doing anything less than bringing true peace and prosperity to the north at last. Should I need to acquiesce to unreasonable demands to do so, then I will do so; with the reappearance of Twilight and her friends, I imagine that our world will soon undergo another major upheaval, as it did before."

He smiled. "A wise prediction. Yes, those six do seem to bring change wherever they roam, don't they? All the more need to ensure they are reunited soon so that they may work in tandem. My understanding was that the Elements of Harmony did not work as individual units, but as a whole."

Dawn cleared her throat, though in this space it was really just out of habit. "Actually, in my conversations with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, I have learned that changes in their own world have since made the Elements of Harmony irrelevant. They are no longer a matter of concern."

"Oh?"

"I am not fully aware of all of the circumstances or ramifications thereof—a conversation with Twilight will solve that—but suffice to say that those artifacts no longer function in the same capacity as they did seven years ago." She shook her head. "I know not if that will have any effect on their capabilities, but from my observations nothing about them has changed in that sense."

"Hmm. A strange consideration indeed." He, too, shook his head. "But it is a trifling matter; they did not possess the Elements in our world in the first place, and there is no telling if they would have worked anyway. A pity, as they might have been of use against Nihila." He then turned his full attention to her. "Now, what news do you have to report?"

Dawn nodded and adjusted her glasses. "Curaçao's investigation into the unknown material of that dagger has provided results, and she is proceeding with matters further. The material's source appears to be located in the Redblade Mountains; she suspects that those responsible for its use may still reside there.

"The reports also indicated some… disturbing facts about the material. While it is only a theory at present, it has been suggested that the dagger was, in fact, the horn of a living creature measuring roughly the same size as an average adult pony. It was forcibly removed."

That got his attention. "Truly? Some as of yet undiscovered creatures, then?"

"That would seem to be the case, yes. In addition, the material seems to possess quite potent anti-magic capabilities, far more than we initially believed." She shook her head. "While I doubt that it would be sufficiently effective against one as powerful as I am, it stands that it would still be a threat to consider."

"Careful, dear. It is one thing to be confident, another to be overconfident. Never discount the possibility that this new weapon may threaten even a pony as powerful as yourself, or your friend Twilight for that matter." He closed his eyes in thought. "I am glad that Red Velvet's willpower was strong enough to push back. I do not want to think of her joining me in the Dreaming before it is her time…"

She nodded. "And I as well, Father."

"So… the Redblade Mountains…" He muttered, looking off into the nothingness. "A dangerous place to hide, but one that provides many advantages. It will not be easy to find them there, and I cannot help locate them as there is too much Darkness clouding the region. To use a southern expression, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack."

"Surely a magnet would be of use in such an endeavor?" Dawn suggested; she knew the metaphor, of course, but also knew the mundane solution to the problem it presented.

That made him laugh, albeit briefly. "Indeed. Then more appropriately, it is like searching for a specific needle in a stack of nearly identical needles."

The answer satisfied her; her father was always good at adjusting his words to be more precise and illuminating. "At any rate, I have left that task to Curaçao, as it aligns with her talents and capabilities. I have meanwhile been arranging details so that once the sandstorm clears in the morning, I can deliver Rainbow and Pinkie to Hope's Point posthaste."

"A wise course of action." Silvertongue paused, tapping his chin. "Incidentally, while I have no certain proof of this, I do find it unlikely that Nihila is not involved in our current and recent troubles in some capacity. Though I haven't been able to locate her, there is no doubt in my mind that she is involved in all of this, that she has found some means of concealing herself from me via those she would call allies."

She tilted her head. "Allies, Father?"

"Seven years ago, there was an incident in which assailants attempted to apprehend Fluttershy and Applejack, and others made a misguided attempt to murder Pinkie Pie. I believe you would recall this incident?"

She nodded. "Indeed, Father. I was the one who initially brought it to your attention. Our investigation into the matter proved fruitless at the time."

"Indeed, and I regret allowing my complacency to run rampant, for I fear it has allowed our current predicaments to occur." He shook his head. "The assailants who attacked the Element Bearers belonged to a cult dedicated to Nihila. I was always aware of the cult's existence, of course, for it goes without saying that individuals with dark hearts would be drawn to her, but that was the extent of my knowledge. Nihila did everything in her power to hide their identities from me, and vice versa."

"But… why?"

"Perhaps she feared that if I were in charge of her cult, then her worship would eventually become open and public, as it is in the south with Harmonia. Just her desire to be different, though I know not if there is a need for it. Or perhaps she always suspected my 'betrayal' and wished to have a trump card."

"And why would she hide you from them in turn?"

"Because she knew how important it was to keep me in my position of power, and me specifically." With a chuckle, he added, "I proved myself useful, and as such she would protect me from others that might attempt a coup to gain power for themselves. She would approve of the attempt, of course—it is in her nature—but the results, maybe not. I built this city to lure her into a false sense of security; it worked."

Dawn nodded. "So the ones who attacked Pinkie all those years ago were cultists dedicated to Nihila. Curaçao and I theorized that the recent attack on Velvet was a long-term plot of revenge, but that seemed odd to us; why would anypony wait seven years to take revenge on Velvet for that?"

"Then you are of the same opinion as I am?"

"Yes, Father. The logical deduction with this information suggests that Nihila's cult is still active. Such a suggestion would have been irrelevant and unconcerning weeks ago when the attack occurred, but now… it does certainly lead to the conclusion that Nihila still lives. Her cult would not be so active otherwise." She shook her head. "But I know not what to do with this information, Father."

"I would have you advise caution to your sister, to all of your sisters in fact," he replied. "If Nihila's cult has indeed settled in the Redblade Mountains, I know not what reason they have to be there. Simply collecting this strange material? Perhaps. But the region has remained unexplored since long before even the Beacons were built, my dear; the place is dangerous and unknown, even to me."

Dawn frowned, but nodded. "I will inform Curaçao in particular of your concerns."

"Good." He let out a sigh, just another showing of his continued frustration and nothing more. "Were this new form of mine more simple to wield, perhaps there would be less complications to trouble us. Nopony prepares you for godhood. I am omnipotent, and yet limited in my power; I am omniscient, and yet blind to most of the world. I cannot even see my own daughters, your sisters, without your aid…"

"I… I wish that I could do more, Father. Is there any service that I could provide?" She stepped over and set her hoof on his side; it was never quite the same as a physical touch, but she could still feel the warmth of him on her hoof. "You know that I would do absolutely anything to please you. Surely you can find some further use for me?"

He gave her a brief look, then shook his head. "There is nothing more that you can do in this situation, my dear. This is my burden to bear, not yours." He then turned fully to her again and set his hoof on her shoulder. "Sleep well, my daughter. And do not trouble yourself with the discontented complaints of an old stallion like myself."

"But Father—"

Dawn awoke with a start, just as her alarm clock was ringing.

*****

After a brief, light breakfast—just a single maple bar donut and a cup of coffee with extra cream—Dawn set about the major plans for the day, most important of which was arranging for Rainbow and Pinkie to be reunited with their otherworldly companions. Summoning them to her office was a trifling matter, and the pair would likely already be aware of the developments coming their way and would be ready to depart.

So it was no surprise at all when the two of them arrived dressed and ready to leave, as predicted, within only a few minutes of her requesting their presence. Rainbow had dressed in a casual shirt under her flight jacket, but carried her "Wonderbolt" flight suit tucked under her wing; Pinkie had returned to wearing the bizarre confectionist uniform rather than anything more appropriate or practical.

Dawn was surprised that Havoc was here too, dressed in the usual sort of unprofessional jacket that she typically wore in casual company, even before her discharge from the NPAF. She would address her elder sister's unnecessary presence later though, for there was business to attend to at the moment that required her full attention.

"Curaçao communicated with me an hour ago that Hope's Point has sent out six search-and-rescue craft to find Twilight and Applejack, as well as Winter and her ward," she said, steepling her hooves and leaning back in her chair. "It is expected that they will have found them by now; they are most certainly transporting them back to Hope's Point as we speak."

"So what are we waiting for?" Rainbow asked, eyebrow raised. "Let's get a move on already."

"There is no need to hurry," Dawn said simply, ignoring the rudeness of Rainbow's interjection. "My teleportation magic is instantaneous; we have several minutes to share a brief overview of the situation before we depart.

"I cannot teleport within the protective barrier that surrounds the city, not with passengers at any rate, as the risk is too great. We will be teleporting just outside the main gate, whereupon we will be engaging in conversation with the gate guard. Or rather, I will. Allow me to direct the conversation, and do not speak unless spoken to directly by either myself or the gate guard. Is that clear?"

Havoc snorted loudly. "Cut the crap, Dawn, you know you don't need to go through any hurdles. Queen Blackburn's gotta be expecting you already, probably cleared everything up—"

"What Her Majesty may or not be expecting and may or may not have already done is irrelevant," Dawn snapped, shooting a glare at Havoc. "I did not request your presence at this meeting, Havoc, so if you cannot keep your mouth shut, then leave. I do not require or desire your input."

"You fucking—"

"Our entrance into the city must be handled with all due pomp and circumstance so that there is no potential for accusations of misconduct," Dawn continued, turning her attention back to Rainbow and Pinkie. "So I will ask again: is that clear?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, we get it. You've gotta put on a big show so that you look good so that maybe you'll get back some of that clout you lost. Whatever. As long as it gets us in so we can meet back up with our friends, we'll do whatever you need us to do."

"I can't wait to hear how everypony's been doing!" Pinkie cheered, clapping her hooves and bouncing in place. "I should throw them a Haven't Seen You in Three Weeks Party! I haven't done one of those in a while."

"Excellent. Ensure that you have all of your belongings with you; we will depart in ten minutes."

"Why wait? We've already got everything we need," Rainbow said, lifting her wing and gesturing at her flight suit. "Havoc's had us ready to go for the last hour."

"Damn straight," Havoc said with a nod. She gestured towards the door with her hoof. "My suitcase is right outside the door, so let me grab it and we can get going. I didn't have much to bring and Curie said she'd send over anything that I might have missed."

Dawn raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "Havoc, when did you arrive at the conclusion that I would be transporting you? I am embarking on this endeavor with Rainbow and Pinkie, and I do not recall agreeing to anything else, specifically the inclusion of extra 'passengers'."

Havoc blinked. "Huh? But you're taking them to Hope's Point, which is where I'm going. It's not like I'm asking you to drop me off someplace else."

"That may be so but I never had any intention of including you in these proceedings. You are, as you have made abundantly clear to me over the past few weeks, no longer affiliated with the NPAF in any official capacity, nor do you wish to have, quote, 'anything to do with you', referring to me."

"Are… are you serious? You're not gonna take me?" Havoc said through clenched teeth.

"The airports will be fully operational at the end of the week as the commercial liners conclude their safety tests in accordance with lockdown procedures, which incidentally are still in effect for standard departures as well. You will have to wait until then to book transportation. I am certain Curaçao can procure a discount on tickets for you."

"You piece of—"

Rainbow put her hoof over Havoc's mouth. "No dice," she said, leveling a glare at Dawn.

That gave Dawn pause. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. No dice. No deal, if that wasn't clear. If you're not taking Havoc with us, we're not going anywhere with you."

Pinkie stepped forward too, looking quite serious indeed; Dawn wasn't aware Pinkie could even do serious. "Yeah! We'll walk if we have to!"

"Or we'll just kick up our hooves and wait here, like Havoc's gonna do," Rainbow continued. "You can have fun explaining to everypony why we're not at the big reunion that's been in the works since we got here. I bet that Queen Blackburn chick'll just love hearing how this all went down."

"You cannot be serious," Dawn muttered, eye twitching. "I have arranged for your transportation already, there is to be a welcoming party awaiting our arrival—"

"Then you'd better get on the horn and tell those guys to pack it up, 'cause we're not budging." Rainbow made a show of sitting right down on her rear in the middle of the office. "I don't imagine Twilight's gonna be happy when Pinkie and I don't show up, either. All because you didn't want to take Havoc with us."

"I… but…"

"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed, sitting down right next to Rainbow and… somehow pulling out a picket sign out of her mane that had Havoc's picture on it surrounded by hearts. "It's a sit-in strike! Heck no, we won't go! Heck no, we won't go! Fight the power! Save the whales!"

Dawn seethed in place, her anger and frustration rising up to a boiling point—

But then she relaxed. Fine. Plans could change. Adapt, adopt, and improve; bringing Havoc along could potentially be twisted to her benefit if she played her cards right. She didn't have time to coordinate with Curaçao on how to go about that, but she was confident that she could handle it herself.

"Very well," she said, calm and collected. "Havoc, procure your suitcase. We will be leaving immediately."

Havoc seemed just a little surprised, but she didn't question it, she just grabbed her suitcase from outside the door. If anything, she seemed more focused on Rainbow and Pinkie than she was on Dawn at the moment. That was fine; the less words had to share with her, the better. The plan may have changed, but that didn't change anything else about their relationship.

Still, Dawn hoped that this would be the first and last frustration the day would throw at her.

*****

Now that the sandstorm was cleared out, Twilight could finally walk out of the Checkpoint building and see the sky, get some fresh air… or, rather not, actually. The sky still had that sickening orange glow from the northern Beacon that she recognized only too well, having seen it every day when she had spent time in this world seven years ago. She was impressed that it managed to reach all the way out this far. The air wasn't fresh either; it had a dry, stuffy feel to it, like being stuck in a closet.

She was beginning to see why ponies were willing to spend so many bits to just fly out of the big city instead of traveling by land. This was miserable.

She couldn't imagine having to take a legitimate journey across all of the Wasteland on hoof. Between the miserable conditions, the mediocre food and lukewarm canteen water, and the uncomfortable bedrolls, anypony would probably be stressed out beyond belief. Heck, even she and her friends, tightly-knit as they were, might get annoyed with one another's habits before too long.

But still, the lack of a sandstorm outside, now nothing more than a half-hearted breeze that didn't even threaten to keep a pony cool, meant that it wouldn't be long before it was time to reunite with everypony else. She still didn't know if anypony else was even okay; there were no means of remote communications here at the Checkpoint, so she could only hope. All that she needed was a sign.

She felt a familiar bump at her side, and glanced to see the tall form of Aculeata had come up to get her attention. In the past ten days, the Gargantuan queen had moulted again, though the change was not as significant as Twilight had expected it to be.

She was only slightly shorter, maybe by a head at best, and her body had slimmed further into an even more equine shape. Her tail was also much shorter than before, and the two eyes at the top of her head that hadn't worked before were gone. Golden membranous tissue had even started growing along the back of her neck, resembling a mane if you really squinted at it.

The most dramatic change was that her wings had fully sprung from out under her carapace now, long a wasp-like and colored a glorious golden yellow.

Twilight reached up and ran her hoof along the queen's hard, chitinous neck. "Hello, Aculeata. Did you sleep well?"

The queen paused for only a moment, her eyes shifting in thought. Then, she nodded and let out a little chirp and clicked her mandibles together. Twilight had come to understand that this was as good as a "yes" answer as she was going to get; the queen could only respond to yes-or-no questions so far, and definitely wasn't capable of speech, but the fact that she was able to communicate at all was astounding.

If Winter needed any more proof that Aculeata was an intelligent creature capable of thought like a pony was, this was it. Gone was the remorseless killing machine; now, she was just another sapient being that deserved kindness and friendship.

Twilight smiled and turned her attention back towards the endless expanse of dust and sand in the distance. "I know that you can understand me when I say that I have to leave. I just hope that you can understand why." She set her hoof down further on the queen's side. "This isn't goodbye forever, I hope. Before my friends and I have to leave this world… I'll come back to say a proper goodbye."

Aculeata chirped again, slowly, not any response that Twilight could understand but she knew that the queen was trying. The queen's horn had a dim blue glow to it, which Twilight did at least understand to a point. The horn glowed whenever certain emotions were being experienced nearby, sometimes by the queen herself. Blue meant, appropriately enough, sadness.

"I know. I wish that I didn't have to go. There's so much that I want to learn about you and what you've become, what you were like before the changes, what you're changing into." Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Mostly though I wish that I could introduce you to my other friends. But I don't think you're going to be welcome where we're going, not just yet. I wish that I could—"

Then, Twilight heard a noise off in the distance, a whirring noise that sounded like it was getting closer, and quickly. Aculeata heard it too, perking up to glance in its direction before letting out another series of chirps and clicks and running off. Twilight didn't call out after her or give chase; the queen was still skittish around certain things that she either didn't know about or that she recognized from her old life. She just needed time to acclimate to everything.

As the noise drew closer, Twilight could see its source: a flying contraption unlike any she'd ever seen before. She recognized the basic movements and components as those of an airship, as Pewter had a large volume in his library that explored the mechanics of this world's airship technology. It didn't have any of the telltale signs she knew, which likely meant that it wasn't from New Pandemonium in the north, but from Hope's Point in the south.

She glanced down the side of the mountain—she'd perched herself up on the highest part of the slope overlooking the Checkpoint—to see that her friends had all heard the noise too and gathered together to greet the new arrival. With a flare of her horn, she teleported the distance between herself and the bottom of the slope, then walked the remaining distance to come up behind them all.

"Oh, there you are, Twi," Applejack said with a grin. "Where've you been?"

"I was just saying a little goodbye to Aculeata before we left," Twilight replied as she double-checked that her wings were still carefully hidden under her sweater. "I guess this must be our ride?"

"That's what Winter says, yup."

The airship landed on a flat stretch of land a few dozen yards away from the Checkpoint, a section of thin rock that covered a metal plate that Pewter said served as a landing pad; airships used magnetic locks on the bottom of their landing gear to keep them fastened in place. Twilight didn't know how anypony had managed to hide a metal plate under the rock, or why they'd hide it in the first place, but it seemed useful.

A trio of ponies disembarked from the ship, two pegasi and a unicorn with the latter in the lead, all of them stallions. The unicorn held one of those datapad devices in his magic; the earth ponies wore body armor and carried small rifles, but they were strapped to their backs and not ready to use at a moment's notice.

They all walked with a purpose, swift and steady, as they approached the group, and Twilight was just a little amused to see them gawk at her size before returning their attention elsewhere.

"About time somepony shows up," Winter grunted as she approached the lead unicorn. "What's with the hold-up?"

The unicorn tilted his head and looked briefly to one of his compatriots, then turned back to Winter. "Um, apologies ma'am. Apart from very specific vessels, none of the fleet has been in use since the sandstorm first hit. Warm-up procedures and maintenance checks aren't a quick process."

"Yeah yeah, excuses excuses. Are ya here to pick us up or not?"

"That depends. Her Majesty Queen Blackburn has issued a search-and-pickup order for a group of ponies that could've been anywhere in the Wastelands as far as we knew. We can pick you up even if you're not them, sure, but you're not on our priority return list so we'd have to keep making passes through the area until we find them or get called back."

Hourglass gestured at herself and the others. "That's us! We're the ones you're looking for!"

"So you say, but we've got procedures in place. This'll just take a moment." The unicorn then started some sort of process on his datapad, and while it was running he turned his glance over to Pewter, who was standing behind the mares. "Pewter. How've you been holding up through all this sandstorm business?"

"Can't complain. Didn't run out of food, got to catch up on some old vids that were in my backlog, and I certainly wouldn't complain about the company," he said. With a wink to Twilight, he added, "Definitely some very interesting folks, mmhmm."

The wink wasn't because he knew Twilight's secret—that had been kept from him still—but because of the other house guest that wouldn't be leaving just yet. She imagined that having a Gargantuan queen who had shrunk down in size move into your home—even if she mostly stayed in the nearby caverns—would certainly count as "interesting". At least Aculeata seemed eager to learn; there was just something bizarrely amusing about seeing her learn to use a chair.

Twilight hoped that while she was gone to Hope's Point, Pewter and Aculeata would still be friends and that he could still teach her new things about the world around her. She hoped that that would even continue after she and her friends went home for good. Aculeata needed a friend… and so did Pewter, actually.

The as-yet-unnamed unicorn's datapad then finished whatever process it had been performing, giving a little beep as it did so. He looked over the data, then nodded and smiled at the mares. "You all check out as the mares we're looking for. Miss Glow, Miss Hourglass, Miss Applejack, and Miss Sparkle, a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

"Likewise," Twilight said with a smile and a nod. "And you are?"

"Blaze Nitro, first mate of the Shimmering Oasis, a search-and-rescue vessel from Hope's Point. These two are Cool Whip and Cracker Barrel, who serve as combat and medical staff in the event of an emergency during pick-up."

The two earth ponies nodded politely.

"Now, I'd love to stick around and chat, but Captain Sunshine doesn't like to lollygag if she can help it, and I think Her Majesty herself is expecting you all as well." He gestured towards the ship itself politely. "So if everypony would follow me, we'll be on our way, lickity-split."

"You heard the bloke, hop to it," Winter said, hoisting up her saddlebags and trotting towards the airship's boarding ramp. "Thanks, Pewter! See you again soon!"

"Don't mention it!" Pewter called back.

Hourglass followed suit right behind her, and Applejack did the same behind Hourglass. Twilight took only a moment to turn towards the mountainside to see if she could see Aculeata at all, but she couldn't. She waved off in the last direction that she'd seen the queen go, but she didn't see any response or movement. She then turned to Pewter, nodded and smiled in a brief, nonverbal thank you and farewell, and followed after her friends.

~~~~~

A flying shell. I know those from the old life. Some ponies cannot fly, so they made these flying shells to carry them. Why does Friend Twilight want to go inside it? She can fly. Hmm… but her brood cannot fly. She cannot carry them all. Maybe tiny Winter one, maybe tiny Hour one. Apple one, no. Too big, too heavy. Strong though, good beta for the brood.

Ponies coming out of the flying shell. They talk to Friend Twilight and her brood. Will watch, make sure Friend Twilight is safe. Flying shell has weapons, weapons could kill males from the old life. Never hurt me, but Friend Twilight does not have shell like me. Could hurt her. I will watch, make sure she is safe.

No Black taste in the air, no fear. New ponies are not enemies. I taste some Green, Friend Twilight's brood happy to go? Friend Twilight… Green and Blue. Happy to go, sad to leave. I do not understand this. How can Friend Twilight be both? I am not both…

Friend Twilight is going into the flying shell now. I cannot see her. I can still feel her, she is still Green and Blue. The shell flies into the air, flies away. I cannot feel her anymore. Seeing her leave makes me Blue. Makes me sad. I do not want Friend Twilight to leave. But she wants me to stay here.

I do not like it. But Friend Twilight is my… friend? Still a strange thing. Friend. Like hunt partner, but more. Not like mate, though. Friend Twilight is a queen like me, does not mate with other queens. But I will stay here because Friend Twilight wants me to. I will do it, and then Friend Twilight will be Green again, no more Blue.

Down the mountain, towards Metal Cave, I see the Male. Pewter one? He is not Blue. He is looking at flying shell. I cannot see it, so he cannot see it. Watched it go, watched it fly away. He turns. He sees me watching. He waves, makes the mouth noise "hello". A… greeting. Pewter one is strange. Not of Friend Twilight's brood, not Friend Twilight's mate; did not smell his scent on her. He looks at me with no Black, no fear.

Yes, Pewter one is strange. I will observe him more. Learn what he is. Maybe Pewter one can help me learn what other strange color is. Saw color when Friend Twilight looks at Winter one, when Winter one looks at Friend Twilight. Pink color, new color. Have not felt it before, do not know it. Tastes good though.

Very strange. Maybe Friend Twilight would like if I learned it, would be Green if I did? She wants me to learn new things. Yes, I will learn what Pink means, will show to Friend Twilight. Then, all happy.

*****

Rainbow had never really gotten used to being teleported. Twilight typically only teleported her friends around when there was an emergency, so she and the others didn't experience it that often. Sure, sometimes Twi did it when it wasn't needed—usually because she was in a panic—and sometimes even Starlight Glimmer did it—because it was easier than walking everywhere—but generally they'd just leave well enough alone and let Rainbow fly wherever she wanted to go.

More importantly, she'd never been teleported as great of a distance as across an entire continent.

Golden Dawn hadn't given ample warning about it, so Rainbow was completely floored by the ferocious twisting in her stomach that came about immediately afterwards. It was the same kind of weightless feeling she got when she pulled a high-speed loopdeloop, only it wasn't a split-second sensation. It lingered. It lingered hard.

But she pulled through it. How uncool would it be to blow chunks all over the ground 'cause she couldn't handle a little discomfort? Havoc was handling it fine—just a little stumble, that's it—so she could handle it too.

Pinkie though, heh, Pinkie didn't handle it quite as well. She just stumbled over to the nearest rock to steady herself against, and heaved a… literal liquid rainbow right into the ground, exactly like the kind they made in the Cloudsdale Weather Factory before shipping them off to make actual rainbows.

"Ha!" Havoc blurted, pointing at Pinkie and nudging Rainbow hard in the ribs; Rainbow had to suck in a breath to keep from puking. "What'd your wife have for breakfast there, Dash? Was it Taco Tuesday this morning?"

Rainbow's face was red as could be, because Pinkie was embarrassing her, and nonsensically so. "I dunno, don't look at me," she grunted. "Pinkie has cupcakes for breakfast all the time, maybe she just got one with a bunch of rainbow sprinkles. I don't watch what she eats like some kind of foalsitter."

Havoc ribbed Dash again, more gently this time. "Ah, I'm just fuckin' with ya. It doesn't make sense for her puke to be rainbow-colored just 'cause she went down on you. That's some cartoony shit right there."

Dawn cleared her throat. "If everypony is quite finished with these unnecessary distractions, we should proceed onward."

"Right right, always gotta kill the mood, don'tcha?" Havoc said, rolling her eyes and grabbing her suitcase. She gestured for Dash to follow. "C'mon, doofus. After we get you guys hooked back up with your pals, I wanna take you to meet Cotton ASAP. If I know her, she's on my wavelength already and wants to get the wedding done tonight."

"Heck yeah, that sounds great," Dash replied with a grin. She gestured for Pinkie to follow. "C'mon, babe! Stop messing around over there. And don't worry about your breath, we'll get you some mouthwash inside."

Pinkie immediately ceased her constant stream of technicolor barfing, rose upright, and wiped her mouth of some remaining… residue. "Already way ahead of you, Dashie!"

She pulled a full bottle of bright pink mouthwash out of her mane, chugged the entire bottle until her cheeks were bulging out like balloons, tossed the bottle away, then rapidly shook herself in place before spitting the entire mouthful out into the air like those fancy fountains they had at the really high-class casinos in Las Pegasus. It was mesmerizing.

Immediately after, she leapt over to Rainbow and placed a big kiss on her cheek. She smelled like… well, like a bottle of mouthwash. But the good kind, like bubblegum. Rainbow just rolled her eyes, threw a wing around Pinkie, and carried on after Dawn and Havoc.

The process of getting into the city seemed surprisingly simple, and as promised, she and Pinkie stayed out of the way so that Dawn could take care of everything as smoothly as possible. She didn't even bother listening in to whatever video conversation Dawn was having with whatever guards or officials she needed to talk to. As far as Dash was concerned, once they were in, she and Pinkie wouldn't need to bother with Dawn anymore.

She honestly wondered just what it was that Twilight had seen in that mare to make her want to be friends with her. Rainbow herself would just as soon make friends with a mud puddle in Everfree, one that had slimy bugs in it maybe. Some friends were really tough nuts to crack, but this was… well, it was just ridiculous.

"So hey, uh… I wanted to thank you guys for what you did back there," Havoc said quietly to Rainbow and Pinkie so that Dawn wouldn't overhear. "That was really cool of you. I know it's the whole 'that's what friends do' deal, but still. Thanks. Saved me an awkward phone call and another week of laying around."

Rainbow smirked and threw her hoof around Havoc's neck. "Hey, no problem at all, best bud. We'd do it again in a heartbeat, wouldn't we Pinks?"

Pinkie nodded rapidly. "Yup! Sure would!"

"Well, I appreciate it," Havoc said with a nod and a grin. "Almost makes me want to forget that you guys fucked my little sister. I mean, I'm pretty sure that violates some sort of Bro Code somewhere, but I don't know if it works the same if we're all mares in the situation. Do mares have a Bro Code? A Sis Code?"

Rainbow's eyes widened and she immediately withdrew from Havoc. "What?! Sh-she told you about that? I thought she wanted— Okay, uh, look, Havoc, buddy, we were just trying to help her discover herself. I swear, there wasn't anything underhoofed about it. I wouldn't do that, even if she wasn't your sister." With a firm nod, she added. "I'm Rainbow Dash, not Dine And Dash."

"Gross. And hey, that's cool of you guys to help her learn something new about herself, and she said that she had a really good time; I didn't ask for details, don't worry." Havoc shook her head. "But I mean, couldn't you have just rented her a good porno or something, or bought her a fucking book? A book about fucking? She knows how to read, y'know."

Pinkie put her hoof around Havoc and used her other to lovingly tap Havoc's chest. "We're more the hooves-on sort of teachers, hot stuff. You can always learn more by doing it yourself than by reading about it in a book. I think even Twilight would agree to that." A pause. "To clarify, no, we haven't had sex with Twilight."

Havoc just shrugged it off. "Fair enough. Just as long as I don't have to worry about you two fucking any of my other sisters, right? My heart can only take so much, and half of the fuckin' thing is covered in metal junk."

"I, uh… I don't think you have to worry about that," Rainbow replied, coughing into her hoof. She definitely didn't have any thoughts on that subject. No sir. Not anymore, at least.

"Yeah!" Pinkie interjected. "I mean, we've kind of exhausted all the options anyway. I mean, who else are we gonna ask, Dawn? Ahahaaa."

Havoc paled, and Rainbow swore that she looked like she was about to throw up in her mouth a little. Pinkie and Rainbow shared a quick look, and silently with just their eyes alone, agreed to sit back down and be quiet until it was time to move on, and to never, ever, mention Dawn in that way in Havoc's presence again.

It wasn't often that Pinkie could kill a mood with a joke, but she'd just downright murdered it in cold blood.

*****

Rarity always dressed her best, that pretty much went without saying, and today was no exception. Her current morning ensemble—a coffee-colored jacket over a simple-yet-elegant teal sundress—would more than suffice for a little reunion get-together with all of her friends before they decided what they wanted to do with the rest of the day's time.

Emphasis on them, of course, because Rarity already had plans; she had a gorgeous red cocktail dress waiting in her room for later tonight and wished that the day would just move on already.

Not that she didn't want to see her friends and reconnect after three weeks apart and all of that, but nowadays it was sort of the norm for her and her friends to be apart for a month at a time, and this wasn't any different. There just wasn't a Friendship Council meeting to worry about, that's all. They could all get together tomorrow as a group to do something, lunch perhaps, but there were more important, time-sensitive things afoot tonight. They'd understand.

The lounge room at the royal palace was a splendid affair, perfect for any sort of get-together of any size; the walls were modular and could be shifted about to accommodate different sizes of crowds with ease. For now it was kept in a low-key setting, appropriate for a gathering of close friends and no more than fifteen or twenty guests.

She and Fluttershy had taken up a seat at one of the round tables in the room, while the other guests present were all seated either at other tables or at the bar. Luckily nopony was drinking at this hour, not even Blackburn at least as far as Rarity could tell, but then again maybe the queen had spiked her coffee without anypony noticing.

Rarity knew why Blackburn was here, of course, and Gadget and Crossfire naturally, but that didn't mean she wasn't constantly feeling anxious about it. She'd been feeling anxious around them all week, a part of her just absolutely terrified that somehow they knew her horrible, horrible secret.

It was bad enough when Lockwood came over to the table and offered her and Fluttershy some coffee. "Two coffees, fresh out of the pot," he said with that blasted charming smile of his, setting the coffees down like just the perfect gentlecolt. "Fluttershy, you take extra cream and… two sugars?"

She smiled and nodded, pulling the coffee closer with her wings. "Wow, that's right. You still have it memorized after all this time?"

"Of course! You were my number one assistant, after all. What kind of boss would I be not to know how my assistant likes her coffee?" He paused, then tapped his chin. "Actually, isn't it supposed to be the other way around? The boss doesn't get the assistant coffee." A shrug. "Eh."

He then turned to Rarity, still wearing that smile. "And Rarity is light cream, one sugar. And you like the hazelnut cream we import from down south, of course."

She just accepted the coffee and nodded. "Thank you," she said, keeping her eyes locked on virtually everything in the room but his eyes. She couldn't afford to look. Not now, not ever, never again.

If he noticed, he didn't say anything, but there was a small pause. "Ahem… well, I guess I'd better see if anypony else needs anything," he said. "Oh! And hey, I just got confirmation from the docking bay: the Shimmering Oasis just docked and reported that they picked up the passengers we were looking for."

Fluttershy brightened. "Oh, that's great news!"

"Yup. They should be up here within the next few minutes; Chief Storm already pre-cleared them. And reports from the gate say that Golden Dawn showed up about a minute ago with some guests, so everypony should be getting here pretty soon, yes indeed." With another smile, he asked, "Anything else you girls need?"

"No, thank you," Rarity said simply, taking a sip from her perfect-temperature coffee. Yes, he'd gotten the amount of cream exactly right, blast him. How was it that he could be so perfect without even trying? It wasn't fair.

"Well alright then."

With that he nodded politely at Fluttershy, then headed off to Gray and Flathoof's table to chat them up a bit.

After a short moment of silence, Fluttershy licked her lips briefly and asked, "Is everything okay, Rarity?"

"Hmm? Yes, of course, darling. The coffee's just right, as always. That Lockwood certainly knows his coffee."

"Not the coffee, I meant you. Is everything okay with you?"

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you mean, dear. I'm perfectly fine, why do you ask? Do I look ill?"

"No, it's just that you seem so focused. You've, um… you've kind of been like this all week, actually."

"Well of course I am, we're about to see our friends again after so long apart. I'm just bracing myself for the excitement to come, that's all."

Fluttershy tilted her head. "That explains today, sure. But what about the rest of the week? You've been acting kind of strange."

"What do you mean? Strange how?"

"Well, I know that you've made a new friend in Cotton, and I'm happy that you spend so much time with her and are helping her set up her new shop, but it just feels like you're spending too much time with her."

Rarity blinked, then set her hoof on Fluttershy's. "Oh my goodness, I am so sorry darling. I didn't realize that I'd been ignoring you. Why haven't you said anything all this time? I feel just dreadful about it. Tell you what, we'll go get breakfast tomorrow, bright and early."

Fluttershy shook her head. "That sounds nice. But, um, I wasn't talking about me. I'm perfectly fine with the time we've spent together these past few weeks. It's a lot more than it has been for most of this year, actually. And I love spending time with Gray and her kids, so it's not as though I'm lonely."

"Then I'm not sure I understand. Is there something wrong with spending time with Cotton? She's a lovely mare, dear, and she's been wracked with nerves about opening up that new store of hers, not to mention the wedding tonight. I've just been a supportive friend."

"And that's very generous of you—"

"It just comes naturally to me, dear," Rarity tittered.

Fluttershy giggled. "Yes, but… I don't know, it feels as if you're spending less time with your other friends. I remember when we first got here, you went out to lunch or dinner with Lockwood and Blackburn every day. I don't think I've heard you mention them all week, maybe even longer than that."

Rarity gave Fluttershy a tight-lipped smile and kept a firm grip on her coffee. "Oh, that's nothing to worry about. The King and Queen are very busy ponies, and they have so much on their plates right now that it would be just rude to impose myself into their lives. I love attention, dear, but I'm no attention hound."

"Ah… okay, I didn't even think of it that way," Fluttershy said with a wide smile. "I keep forgetting that they're the rulers of this entire city together."

"Yes, they're certainly a lovely couple."

Rarity had never in all these years ever wanted a private conversation with Fluttershy to just end as soon as possible, but she was desperate for some excuse to divert attention away from the uncomfortable topic. The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk about Lockwood and Blackburn, especially with Fluttershy, who tended to have a pretty keen eye and would surely notice that Rarity was trying to avoid it before long.

So she was glad when Twilight walked into the room, Applejack just behind her, with Winter and that other young mare—Hourglass was it?—just behind them. Gladder than usual, at any rate.

The mood of the room lightened immediately as everypony rushed to greet their friends who had just arrived, whether it was friends from home or friends from elsewhere. Questions were all abound, of course, such as what had happened to Twilight after her spell backfired, where she and Applejack had ended up, what they'd been up to over these past several weeks, and what Winter and Hourglass had to do with all of it.

There were likely plenty of other questions buzzing in everypony's heads as well—Rarity for instance wanted to ask young Hourglass about her adorable ensemble—but for the most part everypony knew that there was such a thing as overwhelming. And, more importantly, there was no time for that; about a minute after that quartet came in, another arrived, this one consisting of Rainbow, Pinkie, Havoc, and Dawn.

However, before anypony could say anything else, Pinkie quite literally pounced on top of Winter with such an excitable demeanor that Rarity was surprised that the pink mare didn't just crumble apart.

"Winter!" she shouted, a tremendous smile on her face.

"Crikey!" the small unicorn blurted as she was pinned to the floor by the enthusiastic pink blur. "Pinkie, what the f—"

"I have a joke for you! I've been waiting for like ten chapters to tell you! Do you wanna hear it?!"

Winter raised an eyebrow, still struggling to get out from under her assailant. "You have a what? A joke? What are you on about, mate?"

"Ahem!" Pinkie took a deep breath, then asked, perfectly calm now, "Okay. So, what do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?"

"A stick."

"A sti—" Pinkie deflated like a balloon, complete with the appropriate sound; had there been music playing, Rarity was certain the record would've scratched, as it was likely to do whenever Pinkie was around. "What? You already know that one?"

Winter rolled her eyes and finally shoved Pinkie off of her. "Bloody hell, of course I do. I learned that joke when I was ten."

Pinkie just stared at Winter, blinking rapidly, then huffed and crossed her hooves over her chest. "Worst. Payoff. Ever."

And so, everypony returned to what they were doing before… whatever that was. Pinkie could sometimes be rather odd, to say the least.

Rarity was surprised, though, when after the brief barrage of light-hearted questions and such, Gray Skies pulled away from the others to approach her youngest sister with a firmness to her that anypony would find intimidating. Rarity took a step back just to be safe; she could see an argument coming a mile away.

"You and I need to have words, little sister," Gray snarled, towering over Dawn as only she could; she was the only pony in the room that was able to stand as tall as Twilight; Flathoof was just a hair shorter.

Dawn eyed her sister up and down briefly, then snorted. "Gray, I was never under the impression that you lacked the knowledge of the basic decorum involved in a social gathering. Whatever topic of discussion you wish to address can be delayed until a later time when we are not all engaged in pleasant conversation."

"Oh no, you're not worming your way out of this, not this time." Gray gestured around the room. "Everypony needs to hear this. They all need to know how lousy of a sister you are. I'm sure Havoc already gave you a piece of her mind, and now it's my turn, and we're doing this right here, right now."

"Sister, this is most inapprop—"

"No, you know what's inappropriate? When your big sister nearly gets murdered, and then you decide not to tell your other big sister about it so that she has to hear it from another sister instead. A big ol' fucked up game of Telephone. Ring any bells?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You are referring to what happened with Velvet, of course. She made a full recovery in less than an hour following the attack due to the nature—" She paused, seeming to realize that there were a lot of ponies in the room besides just the two of them. "This discussion should really be a private matter, Gray—"

"If you're worried about everypony knowing about our special powers, don't, they already do." Gray jabbed her wing towards Blackburn briefly. "I made sure to keep Her Majesty in the loop on this one. So go on, give me the rest of your little spiel, try and give me a good excuse."

Dawn's eye twitched. "You… you informed her about your enhanced capabilities? Father impressed upon us the need to maintain secrecy on the matter! Why would you do that?!"

"Because we're tired of keeping secrets," snorted Havoc. "All these secrets and shit don't help anypony. If anything, you and your fucking secrets have done nothing but hurt the ponies we all care about."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Dawn snarled, wheeling on Havoc.

"Referring to me, obviously," Blackburn quipped, stepping up alongside Gray. "Or did you forget? Close friend murdered, children threatened, life put in danger. Blame lies with these 'subversives', naturally. However, given that opportunity only because of your mistakes. Your secrets. Such as the Chameleon-class cruiser that attacked us. Left that out of manifests."

Dawn visibly gulped, but she seemed to maintain some level of focus and bearing, enough to say, "And for that mistake, I offer my sincerest condolences and apolo—"

"Save it. Just compounds on other factors. Not just secrets; general subterfuge as well. Ability to trust you, practically nonexistent. Abducted Havoc from my city, did so without permission, without notification, without afterthought, without guarantee of return. Emotionally affected friends, family. No consideration, selfish; deplorable on a fundamental level."

With a sneer, Blackburn continued, "Besides personal attachment and personal affairs ruined, also dangerously close to breaking rules of ceasefire. Havoc's transplanted eye is Hope's Point technomagic; you took it without permission, brought to your city. Had no assurance that it would not be tampered with, examined, stolen. Only stayed my hoof because of trust in Havoc not to allow it."

Havoc scratched her cheek; Rarity had been trying to avoid looking at the poor mare's scars, as they were quite severe. "Holy shit, I never even thought about it like that."

Dawn's eyes darted between Blackburn, Gray, and Havoc, then back to Blackburn. "Your Majesty, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation—"

"And don't give her the shit about Havoc being a military operative," Gray snorted. "You already used that excuse, but then you forgot to mention that you demoted Havoc and that she immediately quit afterwards. You had no need or grounds to keep her up north, and we all know it."

Blackburn nodded. "Havoc informed Ambassador Skies of the situation; she informed me. So, would like an explanation: why keep her there? Hmm?"

Dawn balked, directing a glare at a very smug-looking Havoc, then redirected her attention—her noticeably shaken attention—back to Blackburn again. "I…"

She gulped again, taking a short breath. "The sandstorm had already touched down and a citywide lockdown had been initiated. My teleportation into our city limits was already skirting closely to breaking my own lockdown mandates, and by the time that Havoc and I concluded our… discourse, the lockdown was in full effect. Regardless of my ability to teleport Havoc that distance, the act of doing so would have violated New Pandemonium City law."

Blackburn stared Dawn down for a moment, then gave a terse nod. "Acceptable excuse. Logical, calls upon adherence to law and order, practical. Morally inadequate, ethically questionable, but diplomatically sound." She pointed a hoof right in Dawn's face. "Warning, though: never do it again."

"I had no intentions on a repeat performance, Your Majesty," Dawn said firmly.

"Good."

Then, to the group's surprise, Winter came up behind Dawn and patted her shoulder. "Alright, mate, let me do you a fuckin' solid here, eh? I need to get back up to New Pandemonium real quick-like, you need an excuse to get out of this awkward fuck-up you caused. Buy one, get one free."

"That's not how that saying goes…" Lockwood muttered.

Dawn glanced at Winter, then Blackburn, then Winter again. "Very well, Winter. Is there any particular location you had in mind as a destination?"

"My apartment. I've got some data that needs checkin' out."

Dawn nodded. "I am aware of its coordinates." She tilted her head towards Hourglass. "Will your apprentice be accompanying us?"

Hourglass shook her head. "No, Winter doesn't need me for data analysis. I'm gonna stick here, get some lunch. Ooh, and check in on Sunsy! I bet he's worried sick about me and Winter."

"Who is 'Sunsy'?"

"Oh. That's the nickname I have for Sunspire."

Dawn blinked. "Ah. That's right, he is still in Hope's Point at present. Hmm. Well, there is no rush to return him to Pandora Tower. I can collect him after Winter's business is concluded." She looked at Winter. If you are prepared to depart, Winter?"

"Yeah, all set here," Winter replied.

Twilight balked. "W-wait! You two are just… just gonna leave? Right now? Just like that? But we all just got back together!"

Dawn gave Twilight a sad smile. "Twilight, we will reconnoiter soon. For now, I believe I need a moment's reprieve, if you do not mind?"

"But…" Twilight sighed and nodded. "Alright. I hope you two aren't going to be gone too long, though."

Winter shook her head. "We won't be back before lunch, but we'll be back by tonight for sure. Y'know, unless all the data I find says that things are more pear-shaped than I thought they'd be. Which, y'know, would just be par for the fuckin' course at this rate, eh?"

She then suddenly stamped her hoof on the floor. "Oh! That reminds me: I'm gonna be gettin' in touch with HQ while I'm up north, which means I can find out who they sent to your world to keep things under control. I don't suppose you all want an update like last time? I don't remember who everypony wanted to keep in contact with, so, lay it all on me."

Rarity and her friends from home all gave one another a little look, then they all shrugged—almost in unison, amusingly enough—and shook their heads. Rainbow and Applejack even let out a simultaneous "Nah".

"Actually, Winter, I think the only thing you can do for us on that front is pass along to our friends and family back home that we're okay," Twilight said with a firm nod. "I'm sure that your fellow agent is handling any fallout from my spell just fine on his or her own, but they shouldn't need to worry about keeping anything else under control."

"Huh? What about, ah… Discord? With you all gone—"

"Discord's our friend," Fluttershy immediately responded with a big smile. "He and I meet up for tea three times a week, and he's been helping me put together the animal sanctuary I've always dreamed of opening. I was even planning on asking—" A pause, a blush, and she said something under her breath.

Rarity grinned inwardly, knowing full well what Fluttershy had muttered. But a secret between friends was a secret between friends.

"Right," Twilight said with another nod; she apparently missed Fluttershy trailing off like that. "So, even if the Elements of Harmony still existed and worked the same way that they used to, I'm sure that Discord would realize what was happening and would take measures to ensure nothing bad happened because of him just, y'know, existing. He's a troublemaker, but he's our troublemaker."

Winter balked. "Wait, the Elements of Harmony don't exist anymore? Ya never told me that."

"I mean, we haven't exactly talked all that much…" Twilight muttered; Rarity could tell instantly that Twilight was not happy about that fact, far more than the drop in tone should've indicated. "But suffice to say, they're not a major player in our world's balance issues anymore, or in how we handle threats."

"Okay… okay, fair enough. Things change. But what about the fact that, y'know, you're the ruler of Equestria? Surely having the Princess of Friendship up and vanish without a trace would be cause for concern for the general populace?"

Twilight shook her head. "Considering what happened last time, I put dozens of measures into place to account for anything happening to me or my friends, if only so that the whole of Equestria wouldn't get plunged into chaos because of something like this. Sure, there might be a little panic at first, but it'd all sort itself out pretty quickly.

"I've accounted for if I were to suddenly disappear into another world or dimension, or even an alternate timeline. I've accounted for if my friends also got involved in any of the above situations and as such weren't around to take my place. I've put measures in place in case a magic spell happens to turn me evil, or turns me into a slug—just an example, it could be any animal—or drains my magic entirely, or turns me to stone. I even have a contingency just in case I'm killed."

Winter blinked, clearly impressed. "You… you have all of that in place already?"

"Of course! It always pays to be prepared for any potential threat, even the ones that you'd never see coming. My contingency here mostly involves getting Celestia and Luna to cover for me until we return home. My secretary Raven will have already taken care of everything within the first few days of our disappearance."

Blackburn smirked and gave Twilight a nod of approval. "Well spoken."

Winter shook her head. "Well, uh… alright. I guess you've already taken care of everything important on that front then. I'll just pass along that message for ya." She turned to Dawn. "Right then, let's get movin'."

Dawn grunted. "Of course."

And with a flash and a pop, the two unicorn mares disappeared.

Rarity sighed. So much for a happy reunion.

*****

Rainbow and Pinkie followed Havoc through the streets of the underground levels of this strange new city, Hope's Point. Rainbow found the whole place to be just a bizarrely practical contradiction, at least as she had it explained to her. A city founded by pegasi that was built with a massive underground cavern? And that had a permanently limited air space because of a magical barrier dome? None of that sounded very "pegasusy" to her.

The surface levels, where all of the main business were located, were covered by a shield that had been designed to not just withstand pretty much anything that could be thrown at it, but even filtered out the environment outside so that fresher, cleaner air was filtered in. It was such that apparently the city hadn't even been affected by the sandstorm outside of restricting air travel.

The underground levels, where all of the residential districts were located, as well as important facilities like hospitals and power plants, were built into a massive cavern that had been hollowed out of the humongous cliff the city had been built on top of. Should the shield above fail, the citizens would be safe enough to have time to retreat to further protective shelters. The entire city could survive through even the worst nuclear fallout… whatever that was.

Well, it was no Cloudsdale. But it wasn't bad.

Havoc led the pair through the streets with a purpose. Rainbow had never seen the other mare move with such vigor and speed, even during the most intense skyball matchups. Not that Rainbow had any trouble keeping up, of course, but it was still amusing to see Havoc looking so excited. She did everything but push ponies out of the way in order to make it through the streets just a little bit faster.

This Cotton Rose must've been pretty special.

Along one of the streets in the lower-levels, they eventually came to a little one-story house. It wasn't very big, but it seemed pleasantly cozy, enough to serve as a comfortable home for one or two ponies. There wasn't anything really distinguishable about the place; in fact, it was identical to every house on the block, from the frame to the color to the yard, like somepony had copied it and duplicated it in every way. The only distinguishing marks were the numbers on the door frame, an address.

Havoc ran up to the door before Rainbow and Pinkie were even past the gate into the front yard, giving it a rapid knock before pacing in place like she had to go to the bathroom. After a few seconds, she knocked again.

A voice from the other side called, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Hold onto your shorts, sheesh."

Then the door opened, and a mare poked her head out. She had a pale yellow coat and a two-tone cyan mane, kind of like that one friend of Rarity's, Coco… something; Rainbow was bad with names. She also looked like she was wearing a loose-fitting, long black jacket that went all the way past her flanks, and was in the middle of adjusting a pink necktie.

Her eyes widened, as did her smile. "Hav—"

Havoc stormed forward, grabbed the mare up, and firmly drew her in for a kiss. A very heavy kiss at that. With, uh… oh wow, that was one heck of a kiss.

Pinkie nudged Rainbow, but Rainbow didn't take her attention off of the display. "Now that, Dashie? That is a certified Haven't Seen You In Forever Kiss. The kind of kiss you only see in movies and read about in novels, and no, not the steamy kind that Rarity likes, funnily enough. That's one of those True Love Kisses from fairy tales and stuff."

"Where the heck can I get me one of those?" Rainbow muttered, half joking, half serious.

"Tell you what, you go on vacation for a month before coming back to me, and I'll see what I can do for ya." But then Pinkie leaned over and pressed her cheek against Rainbow's. "But I'd rather give you smooches every day, even if they're just regular ol' I Love You Kisses."

Rainbow smirked. "Yeah, I guess I like having it that way when you put it like that."

Once Havoc and the mare broke off their kiss, they were both out of breath and red in the face—redder in Havoc's case. The other mare spoke first, though. "Havoc, oh my stars, wow. I don't think you've ever used that much tongue before. At least not on my—"

She paused, noticing Rainbow and Pinkie; her face reddened even more; what had she been about to say? "Oh! Hello. Can I… help you?"

Havoc licked her lips and gestured at the pair. "Babe, these are Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. They're really good friends of mine."

"'Sup?" said Rainbow, tilting her head up.

"Hiii!" shouted Pinkie, leaping up and waving. "I really like your hair clip! It's cute!"

"Well aren't you two precious?" the mare said, stepping alongside Havoc to offer her hoof, first to Rainbow. "My name's Cotton Rose. Pleasure to meet you." A pause, she looked at Havoc. "Wait, 'Rainbow Dash'? Like, the Rainbow Dash, your friend that can fly really fast and haven't seen in forever?"

"Yup, that's her," Havoc said with a grin. "She and Pinkie are here on vacation for a lil' while, dunno when they're heading home, but they got stuck in lockdown with me up north. And thank fuck for that, 'cause I'd have gone absolutely nuts without 'em. Bad enough I didn't have you for three weeks."

Cotton nodded and smiled. "Well, thank you both then for keeping my bunbun company."

Rainbow snorted out a laugh. "'Bunbun'?"

Havoc, face more red than ever, averted her gaze and scratched her chin. "It's, uh… my nickname. Kinda like how Curie called Shroud her 'little raspberry'… at least I think that's what she calls her. I don't speak fancy-talk, but I asked once."

"Okay, yeah, I got that. But bunbun? What's the deal with that?"

Cotton bit her lip and looked at Havoc, then back to Rainbow. "It's private. Not a story for polite company."

"We're not exactly polite company."

"Fuck off, Dash!" Havoc blurted. "We ain't telling you shit!"

Rainbow held up her hooves. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say." A pause. "Bunbun."

Havoc grumbled something under her breath—Rainbow didn't want to know what sort of swears Havoc felt were so bad that she couldn't say them aloud—then took a breath and threw her hoof around Cotton's shoulder. "So, uh, babe, I've got a bit of a favor to ask."

"Oh?" asked Cotton.

"I mean, I know we were gonna try and keep it down to a small ceremony. I invited my sister, you invited your mom, and we kinda have to invite the royal couple since they made this work out so smoothly." She scratched her chin. "Hey wait, the whole point of that was to rush the wedding up to right after I got out of the hospital. We had to wait three weeks, so—"

"Honey, we're not telling His and Her Majesty they can't come to our wedding," Cotton said, eyes half-lidded in disbelief.

"Fine, fine. Whatever. I want 'em to come anyway." Havoc then pointed at Rainbow and Pinkie. "Anyway, these two. I, uh… I sort of invited them. I know, I should've asked first, I'm sorry, but—"

"No, it's cool. They're more than welcome to come."

"Oh? Oh! Awesome!" Havoc grinned at Rainbow. "See? Told ya she's awesome. Didn't even hesitate."

"Buuut—"

Havoc raised an eyebrow and turned to Cotton. "There's a 'but'?"

"Yes. Buuut, they can only come if my new friend Rarity can come. She helped me out a lot with the store these last few weeks, and she helped me put my wedding dress together." With a grin, she added, "I can't wait for you to see me in it."

"I can't wait to see you in it either. Or to get you out of it." A pause. "Wait. Rarity?" Havoc turned to Rainbow. "Like, as in your Rarity?"

"I guess so," Rainbow said with a shrug and a look to Pinkie for assurance. "We didn't know anything about this, did we?"

"Rarity sure didn't say anything to us, nope nope nope," Pinkie said, shaking her head. She then gasped, holding her cheeks. "Oh. My. Gumdrops. That means she's like a surprise bridesmaid! Just like at our wedding! Cool!"

"She wasn't a surprise bridesmaid, Pinkie, you asked her to be one. You were stressing out for weeks on whether she or Fluttershy would get mad if you asked either of them to be your maid of honor. You decided they should both be." Rainbow puffed out her chest. "I had it easy. AJ was my Best Mare, piece of cake."

"What about Twilight?" asked Havoc.

"She officiated," Rainbow and Pinkie said in unison.

"Oh. Well yeah, that makes sense."

Cotton held up a hoof. "Wait, you guys know Rarity too?" She scratched her head, then nodded in understanding. "Okay, so that means the Rainbow and Pinkie she was talking about are you two. Wow, this sure is one small world we live in, isn't it?"

"I mean, yeah, it's a lot smaller than ours is," Pinkie said nonchalantly.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. What? Did somepony say something?"

"Okay, so, this is really cool and all, I'm glad to be a part of this whole wedding dealie," Rainbow said, stepping up so she was face-to-face with Cotton. "I've been best buds with Havoc for pretty much her entire life, so y'know, I think I know her pretty well. At least I thought I did, 'cause I was pretty sure Havoc wasn't into mares. But you're a mare. And you two are getting married."

"Beep boop, does not compute," Pinkie said, moving her limbs about like a robot. "No offense, but we just don't get it. If a mare and another mare like each other very much, they're called lesbians. Unless they also like stallions very much. Then they're bisexual. Ipso fatso, if Havoc likes a mare like she likes you, then she's one of the two. Boom. Logic."

"Thanks for the vocabulary lesson," Havoc snickered.

Cotton looked at Havoc. "You didn't tell them?"

Havoc smiled back. "I thought you should. You explain it better than me anyway. I told my sister Red and she took like a week to wrap her head around it all. I don't think her brain is wired to see a hot chick like you with, ya know. Ya know."

Cotton shrugged, then turned to Rainbow and Pinkie. "I'll just keep it simple, okay? I'm trans. I was born as a colt, but I realized that that's not who I was pretty early in life, and it took me a long time and lots of effort to get to where I am now. I identify as a mare, and I prefer to dress like one and be treated like one. Because that's what I am: a mare."

Rainbow and Pinkie shared a brief look, then just shrugged. "Okay," they said together.

Cotton was clearly a little surprised by the reaction. "Wow, that was… fast. You don't have any questions or anything? Folks usually ask me all sorts of questions. Even Havoc asked me questions."

"Well, I mean, sure, I've got a couple of questions, but I figure that if that's what you say you are and that's what makes you comfortable, then that's the end of it." Rainbow nodded firmly. "I'm the last pony that's gonna question that kind of stuff."

"Me neither!" Pinkie said with a rapid nod of her own. "But I do have one question that I think might be important, 'cause none of that answered the question we did have, which is if you're a mare, and Havoc's marrying you—"

"You're gonna ask if I still have a penis, aren't you?" asked Cotton.

Pinkie gasped. "Whaaaat? Noooo." A pause. "Okay, yeah. I was. I was gonna use the word 'winkie' but yeah."

"I'm not comfortable with getting surgery," Cotton said simply. "I use hormone pills and some magical treatments to help me look more feminine, but, uh… yeah, outside of surgery, I can't get rid of what I was born with."

"They don't have magic potions or something that can do that?" asked Rainbow.

"Nothing permanent, no, and most of them come with 'enhancements' that I don't have any interest in. I wouldn't be me, I'd be whatever the potion turned me into."

"And I love her just the way she is," Havoc said with a firm nod. "If she doesn't wanna change that part of her, I'm not gonna give her shit for it."

"Huh." Rainbow shrugged again. "Well, I guess with all that, I can kinda understand why Havoc says she's a bit confused about herself. I ain't gonna question it if you guys are happy together."

Havoc nodded and pressed her cheek against Cotton's. "Told ya they're cool." She then clapped her hooves together and smiled wide. "So, the wedding's on for tonight. I talked to the royals and they were able to get our old appointment reconfirmed and everything. I already took care of inviting my sister, so you just gotta get an invite to your mom, and I guess Rarity already knows?"

"Oh stars, you just took care of everything, didn't you? I mean, I assumed you were gonna do it, but I'm surprised that I'm right." Cotton giggled and kissed Havoc's cheek. "Okay, I'll get the invite to my mom. Do you think we have time for lunch first though?"

"Oh hell yes we do." Havoc looked at Pinkie and Rainbow. "You two wanna get lunch with us before we get ready for the wedding?"

"Yeah, sure, sounds good to me," said Rainbow.

Pinkie bounced in place. "Me too! I can't wait for the big ol' romantic wedding chapter!"

*****

Winter arrived at her apartment back in New Pandemonium with a flash and a pop, Dawn right by her side. She felt just a little queasy, having never teleported so far before, but she was able to shake it off after only a few seconds. She simply didn't have time to be sick; there was work to do and it was her job to do it.

The apartment itself was shabby, but not too shabby, just a little hole in the wall on the upper floors of a smaller complex in the Mid-North District of the city. It was barely large enough for her alone, so it was difficult at times living with Hourglass too; Winter was a firm believer that if she actually liked being at home, that would make leaving for work suck that much more.

The jury was out on if that philosophy worked or not.

"Hmm, why do I not recall your living quarters possessing such little space?" Dawn observed, stepping around a tiny coffee table to take a seat on a tiny couch.

"'Cause you've never actually been here before and just know where it is 'cause your big sister told you, probably," Winter grunted, not bothering to look at Dawn as she did. She took out her Timekeeper and stepped over to the large grandfather clock in the corner, twisting a few dials as she did so.

When she opened up the clock's front panel, there was a room behind it, a rather comfortably-sized one at that, and one that had no business being located where it was. It existed in a pocket dimension that the clock gave access to; if it existed in physical space, half of it would be floating outside the window, the other half would be in the neighbor's bedroom.

Dawn didn't even bat an eye at the display. "Is that the 'office' that you have referred to in past conversations?"

"Yup," Winter replied. "Now, I've got a lot of data to run through and I know I'm gonna have to sit through a meetin' with the brass at HQ, so this'll probably take a few minutes. You might as well get comfortable, 'cause when I'm done I need to get back to Hope's Point. Though I might need to run some errands, depends on how the meeting goes, so you could be a pal and taxi me around."

"Naturally, if the matter pertains to our world's stability. I will attempt to 'get comfortable' until you have finished with your meeting, I suppose." Dawn raised an eyebrow and glanced around the room, which had minimal decorations or entertainment appliances available. "To the best of my ability, at any rate."

Winter gestured towards the refrigerator. "We're out of soda last I checked, but if you want somethin' quick to drink there's always plenty of beer. Feel free to pop one open if ya like. Just stay away from the ones with a gold crown, those aren't for afternoon drinkin' unless ya feel like gettin' drunk before dinnertime."

Dawn grunted. "I do not partake in alcohol except for wine as part of social functions in keeping with the polite etiquette expected of a mare of my status and position. And I certainly do not drink beer—"

"After the day you've been havin' so far, Dawnie, you don't need fuckin' wine. You need to have a real drink. Suit yourself if you don't want anything, but that's just my professional opinion, and I'm an expert."

"On alcohol?"

"On gettin' rotten, eh? Gettin' drunk."

"I do not find alcoholism to be an admirable—"

Winter ignored the rest of Dawn's statement and hopped in through the door of her TARDIS, which was the official designation for the "office", and no, it wasn't an acronym. Whoever had designed the original model was some kind of pop culture nerd in his world and named it after something in a television program he enjoyed, but if it really was an acronym he never told anypony what it stood for.

Nopony liked the name, incidentally. But it stuck.

She then sealed the door shut behind her, as per protocol. Even Dawn, powerful as she was, wouldn't be able to break in once it was sealed, but even so much as a quarter-inch opening would be enough that the dimensional barrier wouldn't work properly; somepony could just open it by hoof.

Winter knew from experience that that was a Bad Thing for any number of reasons, least of all the risk of bodily harm to herself, or somepony potentially learning things that they shouldn't. She never learned if that shadowy fuck from seven years ago had actually died or not, but nothing had happened since then to lead her to think otherwise, and she was always sure to double check the seal nowadays.

She sat at her computer station in front of dozens of monitors, dominated by a much larger one in the center. She then placed her Timekeeper onto an attachment on the side panel, which would interface with it and allow her to send and transmit the data that Hourglass had collected. Last, she clicked her hooves on a number of buttons on her keyboard, calling up the Chronomancer HQ emergency channel.

The other line was answered in seconds; that sounded impressive, but it meant that whoever was responsible for answering the calls hadn't actually answered it for several hours, likely because they were dealing with other calls or internal issues. The pony that answered wasn't actually a pony at all, but a teal hippogriff, dressed in a snazzy black suit with a bowtie.

"This is Agent Maltese with Emergency Communications. State your name, world designation, and the reason for your call and I will redirect you," the hippogriff said with a calm, polite tone in a silky-smooth baritone. The name was odd, but hippogriffs tended to sometimes have pony-like names, sometimes not; Winter honestly didn't know why.

Incidentally, she always found it amusing that only ponies could serve as Chronomancer field agents like herself. Non-ponies like Maltese here often served a purpose, but they couldn't work in the field because not every Equestria had certain non-pony races. Maltese would look out of place in Winter's world, or at least he would have until about five years ago when her world first started "getting" hippogriffs introduced.

That was a long story in and of itself.

"Agent Winter Glow, Equestria-V. I need an analysis board to review some concernin' data that I've collected and to provide input and guidance for potential solutions," Winter stated, equally polite and calm.

"Roger that, ma'am," Maltese said, tapping some keys on his own keyboard. "Your call is being redirected. Mind that the analysis team reviews thousands of cases a day; they may take some time to get to your request."

"That's fine, I know how this works. What's my estimate?"

"Your estimated wait time is… sixty-seven standard rotations."

"Ah, that's not too bad. Right then, thanks for the transfer."

"Not at all, Agent Winter. Thank you for your service, and enjoy the rest of your day."

The call with Maltese dropped, and Winter took the time that she knew she had to roll her shoulders, relax back in her seat, and take a nap; she didn't need to set an alarm or anything, she just set her internal clock—not literally—to wake up in an hour. A standard rotation at HQ—a full day—lasted for just a little shy of a full standard minute here in this world; the deviation was so infinitesimal that nopony would notice it except for a Chronomancer.

Once she woke up from her nap, she stretched her legs out in her chair, let out a big yawn, and kicked back to wait for the remaining few minutes. Chronomancer HQ tended to be pretty damn exact about their estimates, so she knew she only had to wait another one, two, three, four, five, six, seven—

Her console lit up with an incoming call, which she answered immediately. On her screen were three windows which displayed her own face in the center, and two other faces on her left and right. To the left was an older unicorn stallion, whom she recognized as Old Timer, one of the leads of the Analysis Department. The old pony was pretty much all gray: his wrinkly coat, his short, thinning mane, his eyes, his thick, bristly mustache, even his suit and tie.

The other, to her right, was a zebra mare that Winter didn't recognize, but then she didn't know everyone at HQ and there were few who did; staff changed frequently enough, sometimes daily.

The zebra's mane was short and curly, two-toned like all zebras, and Winter only assumed that she had stripes along her body like other zebras did, not to sound biased. She couldn't tell, actually, because the mare was wearing a lab coat over herself that covered her from neck to flank. She also had a professional-looking set of glasses that somepony like Dawn would probably approve of.

"Agent Winter Glow, you have requested the services of the analyst board to review some data for you, is that correct?" Old Timer asked, his voice not hinting at his age like the rest of him did.

Winter nodded. "Yes sir. My Timekeeper is already connected and ready for data transfer."

"Excellent. Then we will download your data immediately, and my associate Doctor Likita and I will proceed with the analysis. While that process is working, would you care to go over the circumstances of your issue?"

Winter explained the situation to the pair, both of whom sat and listened quietly to Winter's story without interruption.

She didn't skimp on a single detail that she was aware of, from the sudden surge of Dark energy in her world to her discovery of the mysterious alicorn underneath the gryphon ruins, then to the sudden arrival of Twilight and her friends and the circumstances of the spell that Twilight had made. She also made sure to explain about the sandstorm, and how it had kept her from reporting sooner.

Going through it all in such detail took nearly an hour; it was a lot of information.

Once she was done, Winter finished with, "The data that my apprentice collected was mainly intended to see if the balance levels in my world are returnin' to normal, or if they're proper fucked."

A pause.

"Also, might as well throw this out there, but Twilight and her friends wanted me to send a message back to their friends and family, to let them know they're safe and secure. I know Equestria-IV doesn't have a proper Chronomancer at the moment but you might know who's been assigned to investigate."

Old Timer nodded. "That would be Agent Happy Hour, and I'll have a message sent off to him. He's been sending us reports as well, so a comparison of data should give us an idea as to what course of action to take in regards to both Equestria-IV and Equestria-V."

"Your data has finished its transfer, and we will be going over it now," said the zebra, Doctor Likita. "Please be patient, as this will take some time. Relatively-speaking, of course."

Winter nodded, and the call temporarily went on hold. She didn't know how long it would take, but knew that her time relative to theirs was nothing. She waited one minute, two minutes, three—

The call reconnected, and Old Timer and Doctor Likita were back on screen; they'd hardly changed a bit over the past three days on their end, though Old Timer had on a different tie than he did before. It was still gray, of course, just a different shade of it.

"Agent Winter Glow," started Old Timer, "we have finished the review of your data, and after comparing it to a number of related incidents throughout our database, accounting for your story, and a brief communication with Agent Happy Hour to obtain a thorough data analysis from him as well, we have come to a conclusion."

"Your world has entered into the beginning stages of a Class-1 complete destabilization," said Likita, steepling her hooves as she did. "I am sorry."

Winter sank down in her chair, the weight of the words dragging her down and threatening to pull her through the floor. "Complete destabilization" meant exactly what it sounded like it meant: Equestria-V was on the road to total and utter destruction, and if it was a Class-1, that meant that it was absolutely impossible to turn back.

"I… I don't know what to say. This all happened so fast and… and there wasn't anything I could do," Winter muttered, not even able to look up at the screen. "There weren't even any Void rifts, so how did this happen?"

"This is a unique situation in a great many ways," said Old Timer, professional and even-tempered despite just informing Winter that her world was dying. "The main crux of the issue is that the surge in Chaos energies—Darkness, as your world refers to them by—rose so suddenly and strongly. We cannot say for certain if this mystery alicorn you discovered did this intentionally, but that's only the beginning."

"Your world's Darkness levels are continuing to rise at a steady rate," Likita said, tapping some keys to show off a graph that demonstrated her explanation. "At the rate of which they're rising, we'd normally classify your world at a Class-3 at this point in time and schedule you and your ward Hourglass for immediate evacuation. Luckily, there's a counterbalance present in the residents of Equestria-IV, specifically in Twilight Sparkle."

"Based on our readings, her allotment of Law energy—Light in your world's terms—is so potent that she is quite literally keeping your world from dying just by being there. It's rather remarkable, actually." Old Timer shook his head. "Naturally that presents an unfortunate conundrum because she needs to be sent back to her own world, and doing so will most certainly accelerate Equestria-V's death."

Winter threw her hooves in the air. "So what the fuck am I supposed to do? Because the way you two are talkin', my world's doomed and I might as well head back out there and let everypony know they're gonna die. 'Great job, Winter', they'll say. 'We thought it was your job to stop this kind of shit'."

"We understand your consternation, Agent Winter," said Likita with a short, professional nod. "Unfortunately, that is not the end of this conversation. Data that we collected from Agent Happy Hour has revealed a rather… complicated issue. According to our analysis, the spell that Twilight Sparkle used to 'view' your world is also a major point of concern."

"Of course it is. I told her she was putting her world at risk by doin' that shit," Winter grunted. The satisfaction of being right didn't help matters any because it just proved the projections correct: Twilight needed to go home soon, and when she did, this world would die.

"On the contrary, her spell on its own should not have had such a dramatic effect," said Old Timer with a shake of his head. "Her spell was impressively well-crafted. It functions almost identically to the magic we're using right now to communicate, albeit on a significantly lesser scale as she lacks Chronomancer technology to amplify it."

"Our data suggests that the spell was flawless," said Likita with a pleasant smile; she seemed to actually enjoy this part of the discussion. "The Void tunnels she created into your world were similar to… well, to use a medical metaphor, Twilight's spell was akin to a surgical incision. It was precise, it was small, and it was easily sealed and would have healed with no issue."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so… you're sayin' that Twilight's spell was workin' perfectly? That it was safe?"

"Indeed. Agent Happy Hour obtained her notes on the spell from a 'Starlight Glimmer' and was able to determine that the spell was meticulously tested, and that over three dozen failsafe protocols were implemented to prevent any possible malfunction. It's really rather ingenious."

Old Timer nodded. "This would be enough to earn her a minor reprimand from her world's Chronomancer if it still had one, but it would also draw the interest of the Recruiting Department. Though it's doubtful that she would accept, of course."

Winter sank back down in her seat. "I see…" She shook her head. "Then what happened? Somethin' obviously went wrong that she didn't predict, otherwise we wouldn't be havin' this conversation."

Likita adjusted her glasses. "According to your explanation of events, Twilight claimed that something attempted to wrangle control of the spell away from her. While that makes little sense in and of itself—the spell's connection should not allow for interaction between the worlds—the fact is that that's the data we have at the moment."

"The best that we can figure is that something on your end affected her spell somehow," said Old Timer. "What it is, we can't say for certain, but we don't think there are many other possibilities given the data that you have provided us with."

"You think somethin' in this world, what, reached out to try and take over Twilight's spell?" Winter asked, eyes wide. "How would they even notice it? Who could even be powerful enough… to do it…" She leaned back in her seat. "Fuck. Why do I have the feelin' that this all leads back to Nihila?"

"Hmm, your reports on this 'Nihila' character indicate that she would have certainly possessed the power and the wherewithal to attempt such an action."

"Makes sense. I've got a bunch of leaders over here tryin' to find her and take her down for completely unrelated reasons. You're sayin' they might be related?"

Old Time nodded. "Potentially. We compared the current data with data from your report during the prior incident with Twilight and her friends, and our analysis suggests that the balance levels did not return to their proper point following their departure.

"As such, we have been moving forward on possible solutions with Nihila in mind using all of the data on her that you have provided. But, assuming that is to be the case, that's where the complications get particularly… well, complicated."

Likita nodded and steepled her hooves. "When Twilight's spell was sabotaged, the surgical incision she made became more of a wound. To use another medical analogy, if Twilight was wielding a scalpel to make her incisions, then Nihila was wielding a hatchet."

"Easily sealed and healed if Twilight returns to her world quickly," Old Timer continued, bristling his mustache. "Which is one of the options we have for the current predicament: send Twilight and her friends home immediately. Your world will likely die within a month if not sooner, but hers will no longer be in danger of destabilizing."

Winter ran a hoof over her face; she'd been expecting that and dreading it all the same. "Twilight's not gonna like that. I know her, she won't want to sacrifice this world to save her own. She'll want to find a way to save both even if it puts hers at risk."

"Well, luckily for you we have two other options."

"Our first consideration is a standard Protocol Fifty-Two," said Likita, adjusting her glasses. "The scale is larger than we would typically allow, but it's still very much doable."

"Every citizen of Equestria-V that wishes to leave will go through customary world-transfer procedures," continued Old Timer. "The move will be entirely voluntary, but they should understand that if they do not leave, they will die. However, as with any P52 process, the creatures who transfer over may not retain the entirety of their identities. Equestria-IV is too different, and it will change things to make creatures fit its narrative."

"A pony in your world that works as a doctor would likely have little trouble with the transition apart from the facilities involved, but a computer technician would not have an equivalent career to transition into, so there is no telling what Equestria-IV would do to make that fit."

Winter sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know how a P52 works. Results are unpredictable, and some folks that make the move won't even be recognizable afterwards, but… well, at least they're alive. Leads to kind of a Ship of Theseus paradox though. Some folks might not like that."

She could definitely think of quite a few that wouldn't. She'd just left most of them behind in Hope's Point a few minutes ago. It wasn't just careers that changed in a P52, it was entire livelihoods. There wasn't a technological wonderland ruled by a pony queen in Twilight's world, for instance; Queen Blackburn would likely undergo a massive adjustment just to make her life fit.

"Naturally. But that won't be your concern. If we take this option, Chronomancer HQ will send field agents to facilitate the transition in a safe, orderly fashion. You and your ward, Hourglass, will return to HQ to be reassigned elsewhere; Equestria-V will just be a memory, one that only you two will even remember."

Likita tilted her head. "And then there's our third solution. It's rather unorthodox, but the situation is unique and we've seen evidence in the data that suggests that we have a distinct opportunity to make it work."

"I'm listenin'," Winter said. "What is it?"

"A complete world merger."

Winter balked. "A what?"

"A world merger. Equestria-V and Equestria-IV will be combined into a single world. We haven't discussed any possibilities for the new world's designation, but we can do so if the option is considered seriously."

Old Timer nodded. "The last time that this sort of technique was used was in the creation of Chronomancer HQ, which is made up of thirteen different worlds merged and condensed into a single facility to allow us to manipulate time and space effectively and without paradoxical issues. The effect on Equestria-V and IV would not nearly be so dramatic, but it will be dramatic nonetheless."

Likita adjusted her glasses. "In order to save your world, Agent Winter, we must perform a… to use another medical analogy, we must perform an organ transplant, only in reverse. Essentially, entire pieces of Equestria-V will be transitioned over to Equestria-IV in order to save them as they are. Some adjustments akin to a standard P52 will occur, but the effect will be less dramatic."

"So… everypony from this world would move over to Twilight's?" Winter asked.

"Essentially, yes. The technology difference between the worlds will likely be the only major change; technology from your world that transfers over might not work the same, if at all. Otherwise, everypony would retain their personalities and livelihoods, and Equestria-IV would compensate for the new additions organically. It would be more of a gestalt than a simple combination."

"Well if you ask me, that sounds like the ideal solution. Why would ya even bother suggestin' the other two at all?"

Likita sighed. "That is where Nihila becomes the problem. Assuming that she's responsible for the 'wound' that was created from Twilight's spell, she could potentially sabotage any attempt to merge the worlds together, as the process is not as precise as a standard P52. She could… 'infect' the new world we would be creating, the same way that an unhealthy organ cannot be used in a transplant procedure."

"Thus, she would need to be removed from the equation entirely," Old Timer clarified with a knowing gleam in his eyes. "She may be a part of Equestria-V's hierarchy, but she operates in such a way that she is a threat to both worlds' stability. Chronomancer protocol dictates that such threats are to be eliminated with all due prejudice."

Winter rubbed her temples and let out a breath. "So, you're sayin' that I've got three solutions: one, I send Twilight and company home, then watch this world get destroyed; two, we perform a P52 and see how many ponies we can save, but we know we can't save 'em all; or three, we smash the worlds together, but first we have to destroy Nihila. Does that sound right?"

"A succinct summary if there ever was one, Agent Winter."

"Naturally the latter two decisions are not something that you can make on your own," said Likita. "Due to the circumstances of the situation, we are rescinding standard Chronomancer protocol and will allow you to freely discuss the nature of alternate worlds with the denizens of Equestria-V as you see fit, excepting matters pertaining to Equestria Prime of course."

"Of course. They should know what's at stake. Assumin' Twilight decides to stick around to help, how long would ya say I've got?"

"Current estimates place it at forty days, though we cannot account for some variances so this is a rough estimate. It may be less," said Old Timer.

Winter sighed and shook her head. "Right, well, that's better than nothin'. I'll be in touch with ya once I have an answer for ya. Do I have permission to use remote emergency channels?"

"Yes. You may use your Timekeeper to contact myself or Doctor Likita directly, especially if you require additional details to explain these processes to others," said Old Timer with a nod. "But if there are no other questions though, Agent Winter, we will let you go. Doctor Likita will be analyzing dimensional data from both Equestria-IV and V in the meantime so that we can better answer any future questions."

"Yeah, thanks. I think I'm done here for now."

"Godspeed, Agent Winter."

"And good luck," added Likita.

Winter shut off the connection, wondering just how in the blue hell things had gotten this bad without her noticing. How did a Class-1 Destabilization slip past her like that? She'd thought that she'd been performing admirably over the past several years, well enough that HQ wanted her to start training an apprentice early, well enough that her yearly evaluations were all of stellar quality.

There was definitely something that she was missing here. Something big. All she knew is that the big start of the problem came about when that mysterious alicorn appeared in the ruins, the one that looked exactly like Nihila. She was beginning to wonder if she should've just ignored Sunspire and executed the alicorn on the spot. She still needed to get an update on that situation from Queen Blackburn, so hopefully she knew more.

First, though, there was some work she needed to do before returning to Hope's Point, namely that she needed to have some conversations with a few important ponies here in New Pandemonium. There was always the possibility that Silvertongue had caused this problem himself, intentionally or not, and she needed Dawn so the she could interrogate him. She was not looking forward to that conversation.

For now though, she grabbed her Timekeeper out of its attachment and, with a sigh, she hopped out of her chair and made her way to the exit of her office, heading back out into the den of her apartment. She didn't even acknowledge Dawn as she did so, just made straight for the kitchen.

"My my, that was certainly quicker than I was anticipating," Dawn said, glancing at the time on the grandfather clock. "You have only been gone for, according to your clock, just over three minutes. Have you finished analyzing all of the data already?"

Winter grunted an acknowledgement but didn't clarify it further. She couldn't acknowledge anything more than that right now; she didn't want to talk or answer any questions, she just wanted to drink. She opened up the lock on the liquor cabinet, grabbed the big, half-full bottle of scotch off the bottom shelf, popped open the cap, and drank straight from the bottle until it was empty.

Chapter Thirteen: Romance

Late in the afternoon, Rarity found herself sitting on a bench in a tiny little wedding hall on the surface level of Hope's Point. She'd dressed her best—that went without saying—in a lovely red cocktail dress that she'd made herself over the past few days, touching up bits and pieces of it here and there so that it would look just perfect. Part of it was her desire to look her best as she always did, but mostly it was so that everypony would know just how important she felt this occasion to be.

There wasn't a lot of room in the hall for guests, but she already knew that this was supposed to be a rather small, private ceremony. This went contrary to every sensibility that Rarity had where weddings were concerned; from even a young age she'd been under the impression that weddings were supposed to be grand affairs with at least a hundred guests, expensive catering, dancing, champagne, and much, much more.

But then Big Macintosh and Sugar Belle's wedding had been rather small too, and they'd only invited close friends and family; she wasn't on the guest list for goodness sake! But even that small ceremony had been larger than this one. Havoc and Cotton had only invited seven guests!

Rainbow and Pinkie sat together on a bench on the opposite side of the aisle from Rarity, dressed in appropriate attire for a wedding. Thank goodness that Cotton had the sense to give them something on such short notice, since Rarity didn't even know they'd been invited until about twenty minutes ago. Suspected, yes. Known, no. But her conversations with Cotton in the past week had given the other mare an idea of what would be suitable for the two.

On the bench in front of them sat Gray Skies, dressed in a handsome uniform—a crisp gray coat with a high collar and all sorts of New Pandemonium livery—that was her "official" uniform for ambassadorial duties. This was perfectly acceptable wedding attire in the same way that a military dress uniform was; Rainbow had made it work exceedingly well at her own wedding, after all. Rarity wished it was a little less intimidating, but then that could just be because it was Gray wearing it.

On the bench in front of Rarity was Cotton's mother, Lavender Blush, a lovely older mare with a coat the color of her namesake and a mane the color of roses. Rarity didn't have much of an opportunity to speak with her before the wedding, just a brief introduction and nothing more. That did remind Rarity, though: she'd never met Coco Pommel's mother, or even heard Coco talk much about her. Well, that was an issue that would be rectified when they all returned home.

Lockwood served as the officiator, a cheeky little surprise that he'd apparently whipped up without telling Havoc or Cotton about it. There was just something that made the whole affair more special and personal when your close friend, the King, officiated your wedding. He looked so handsome in that white tuxedo with the royal livery upon it, like a prince out of a storybook… well, a king, but that was semantics.

Which left the seat on the bench next to Rarity to be occupied by Queen Blackburn herself, who Rarity could admit looked quite fetching in the white dress jacket, which was quite different from the usual functional jackets that she wore; it had a more elegant quality to it, perfectly fitting for most any formal occasion, yet would still be casual enough to wear day-to-day. The green-and-gold scarf she always wore complemented it perfectly.

As to why the queen had chosen specifically to sit next to her, Rarity didn't know and she didn't ask so as not to sound rude, but she rather wished the queen had sat elsewhere. It was bad enough being in the same room with both Lockwood and Blackburn lately, but in this particular situation it was horribly uncomfortable. Every time Blackburn looked her way, Rarity was terrified that she knew. Rarity had to keep her focus elsewhere so as not to give the queen any reason to suspect that anything was amiss.

"Designed your dress yourself," the queen suddenly said to her, gaze still forward. "Also designed the wedding dress." They weren't questions, they were statements, as though she were reciting facts.

"Only parts of the wedding dress, actually," Rarity replied; since the queen didn't turn towards Rarity to speak, Rarity didn't turn towards her either. "Cotton designed most of it herself, I simply helped with the touch-ups and putting it together. As for my dress, yes, I designed and made it myself."

"Hmm. It looks good on you. Breathtaking."

Rarity gulped; there was one of those accursed words again. Blackburn had been clear that Lockwood told her all about their… misunderstanding all those years ago, and no doubt had even told his wife the words that he had used to lead to said misunderstanding. Stunning. Breathtaking. Very flirtatious words to use to compliment a mare, or anypony really, on their appearance.

Blackburn was clearly using those words to remind her of what had happened. Was she taunting her? Trying to make sure that Rarity knew that those words had been meaningless, at least in the way that Rarity desperately wanted? Rarity couldn't tell, but she did know one thing: she wasn't going to let it get to her. Not now, certainly. No, she would eat lightly at dinner after the wedding, then, later tonight, she'd have the palace's room service bring her the biggest tub of rocky road ice cream they could find.

Because this wasn't a traditional sort of wedding, there was a lot less pomp and circumstance about the entire affair. The guests had been given some time to chat amongst themselves and choose their seats while the happy couple got changed into their wedding attire—there was no way Cotton was walking here in her wedding dress.

After that, the couple then came out of their changing rooms and made straight for the altar, though it was clear that there was plenty of time for the guests to take in the… bride's…? To take in Cotton's wedding dress. Rarity had heard that the couple were calling one another "partners", so "bride" might be inappropriate. It was a complex subject.

Rarity had spared no effort—or expense—in helping Cotton fashion her dream wedding gown, a simply gorgeous white ensemble that both accentuated Cotton's lovely figure while also maintaining a sense of mystery and purity. Cotton had even opted for a set of white silk stockings to add a touch of both class and sensuality; she and Havoc were apparently a very physical couple, so it was her way of both looking good now, and looking good later, when they… consummated their marriage.

Rarity could tell from the look in Havoc's eyes that she was resisting the urge to do just that right then and there. Rarity applauded herself—and Cotton, of course—for the ability to instill such a fiery reaction in a pony. But good things came to those who waited, so they say; Havoc and Cotton would surely have a wonderful evening.

Havoc herself had taken the event as seriously as possible and dressed in her own military dress uniform, black and laden with medals, and which had apparently been touched up and given some adjustments to make it more of a suit; since Havoc had apparently "quit" her military career, this seemed like a fitting use of it. Despite Havoc's unorthodox style—that mane cut was much too butch for Rarity's tastes—and the extent of her scarring—the poor dear—she still looked quite dapper.

Since the wedding was already such a personal, intimate affair, it seemed that the couple had already made some arrangements to do things a little differently, because Lockwood did not give any sort of proper speech to the audience present to begin to ceremony, only a small little tidbit at best, and a charmingly casual one at that:

"Well, everypony, we're all gathered here today to witness the marriage of these two lovebirds," he said with a wide smile as he gestured at the happy couple, who stood face-to-face in front of him barely more than a foot apart. "You all know the drill: if you don't think these two should be getting hitched, speak up or shut up."

A little wave of laughter went through the crowd. Yes, Havoc definitely had something to do with this. Rarity wanted to be upset that the introductory speech was so informal and slightly crude, but then that was how Havoc was, and that's what Cotton seemed to love about her. It was perfect, in that case.

"I understand you two have written your own vows?" Lockwood asked.

The couple nodded, and Cotton took Havoc's hoof in hers as she went first:

"I never thought that I'd ever get the chance to say this to anypony before, but… Havoc, I love you more than anything in the whole world. You've accepted me for who I am, you've made me feel like I have a place where I belong, and you've given me so much joy in my life. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you, and so I'm happy to join my life together with yours, forever."

Rarity swooned just a little. That had been probably one of the most romantic things she had ever heard in all her life, and she'd attended plenty of weddings over the years, weddings of all of her friends that had found their special someponies. Someday, somepony would say words like that to her, to let her know how much she meant to them and how much they wanted her in their life.

Someday.

Havoc then cleared her throat and recited her own vows:

"Cotton, I'm here tonight because when you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with somepony, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. I think I'd miss you even if we never met. Because you don't just marry somepony that you can live with, you marry somepony you cannot live without. I love you. You… complete me."

There was a long pause.

Cotton let out a sigh; she didn't look upset, just stunned. Amazed, even. "Did you seriously just use a bunch of cheesy movie quotes to make your wedding vows?"

"Uh… yeah." Havoc let out a nervous chuckle. "Hey, those are famous lines for a reason. I'm not good at all this mushy stuff, you know that. I just wanted to say that you're special to me, but I couldn't think of a romantical way to say it."

"Then that's all you needed to say, honey."

"Oh. Well, uh… in that case… you're special. To me. And I love you."

Lockwood grinned wide. "That's perfect. Now, I know you said you didn't want traditional wedding earrings, so we'll go ahead and skip that step and get straight to it, shall we? Ahem! By the authority vested in me by, well, me, I now pronounce you partners. You may now kiss."

Havoc and Cotton stepped forward and met in the middle, and they shared a kiss that was both endearingly romantic and yet not as passionate as it probably could have been… but then Rarity supposed that the more passionate kisses the couple typically shared would be inappropriate in the current company.

There was a round of cheers and applause throughout the gathered audience, and the loving couple broke their kiss and shared a loving look at one another now that they were officially wed.

Rarity didn't need to hear anypony tell her that the two mares were in love with one another. She didn't need to listen to vows being exchanged to know it. No, she could tell just by looking at the way the two looked at one another that there was a deep love in their hearts. Oh, what she would give to have a wonderful stallion to hold her hoof and look at her like that…

And for him not to be a married stallion.

Now, Rarity knew that because this was not a typical wedding, she should not therefore expect a typical wedding procedure. There weren't any professional photographers—just Lavender's cheap camera—to capture all of the happy moments, there certainly wasn't a wedding cake anywhere just waiting to be cut and shared, and the dinner arrangements were certainly unorthodox: Cotton had made a reservation at a nearby Baroque restaurant that Havoc liked.

Everypony gathered around to congratulate the happy couple before they would all supposedly be heading off for dinner. Well, almost all of them, it seemed; Rarity hadn't been aware that the royal couple wouldn't be attending dinner with the newlyweds until just now.

"Are you sure you guys don't want to come along?" Havoc asked, looking between Lockwood and Blackburn. "I mean, I know a reservation's a reservation and it's for a certain number of guests, but it's not your fault that we invited more ponies. That's my bad. Mostly my bad."

"Certainly our King and Queen should be able to arrange things at the restaurant so that they'll adjust our reservation?" Cotton asked, tilting her head.

"Oh, I'm sure they would if we asked them to," Lockwood said with a nod and a smile. "But we want you guys to all have fun and enjoy yourselves, and I don't think us being there is gonna make that all that easy. Folks usually give us privacy and such but there'd still be attention going to us rather than you."

"Also distasteful abuse of power," Blackburn said. "Potentially takes seats away from other customers. None would complain, not openly. Disappointment still possible, don't want to upset anypony in that sense. No, will take dinner on our own, planned on enjoying dinner at home. Haven't done so in weeks, sounds appealing."

"Well, if you guys are sure, then hey, thanks for being here and everything," said Havoc, reaching out to shake Lockwood's hoof first, then Blackburn's.

"Oh shoot, this reminds me, the reservation was only for six ponies," Cotton said with a frown, stamping her hoof on the floor. "Even if His and Her Majesty step out so that Rainbow and Pinkie can be there, we're still one over."

"Oh, I'm sure they can accommodate one extra pony," said Lavender, setting her hoof on her daughter's back. "Especially for a wedding dinner like this. Right?"

"I mean, maybe? I don't know. I do know that most places like this don't like it when you change reservations last second like that…"

Rarity frowned, realizing that she was the culprit here, the dreaded seventh guest. "Yes, that sounds about right," she said with a sigh. "Not to mention that it's dreadfully tacky."

"I can sit out too, if you guys want Rarity along," Gray offered.

"Hell no!" Havoc blurted, wrapping her hoof around her big little sister's shoulder, hard as that seemed with their height difference. "Last time we saw each other I was laid out on painkillers in the hospital. I want my sister at my wedding dinner, no exceptions, and that's final. My hoof's down on this one." She looked at Rarity. "Uh… sorry, Rarity…"

"No harm done, dear," Rarity replied. "I understand and agree completely."

"Potential solution: Rarity has dinner with us," Blackburn suggested, looking right at Rarity with a polite yet… dangerous smile. There was just something about it that made Rarity more anxious than usual.

"Oh hey, that sounds like a good idea," agreed Lockwood with a big, friendly smile and a nod. He looked to Rarity as well, "You've been so busy all week with helping Cotton out on her dress that I've hardly seen hide nor hair of you. You oughta come with us, have a nice quiet dinner at the palace."

Rarity gulped. "Oh, no, I couldn't impose on you like that. I'm certain that I can manage just fine on my own in finding dinner accommodations. Perhaps Applejack would like some company—"

"She's at dinner with Flathoof and the family," Gray said simply. "I mean, I'm sure they'd have you, but fair warning that it's kind of a big family affair and you'd probably feel out of place."

"Ah, yes, of course. How could I have forgotten? Hmm. Well, perhaps Fluttershy—"

"Shy's doing dinner with Twi tonight," Rainbow said just as simply. "Twi said something about making friends with a… giant bug or something? I dunno. But you saw how Fluttershy practically jumped at the chance to hear all about it."

"Right, yes, I remember them saying something about that. Uh, well then… perhaps I… ah…" Rarity straightened up. "I mean, it wouldn't be awful for me to go find some dining alone—"

"Rarity, please, you're not imposing on us at all," Lockwood said with a grin, taking her hoof and patting it gently like the horribly charming gentlecolt he was. "You don't have to strain to make something work out. Blackburn and I are extending an invitation because we want you there."

"Yes. We insist," Blackburn said, her lips curling in a small smile that made Rarity feel like some meek prey under the hungry gaze of a predator.

"Yeah, you should totally go with them," Havoc said, clapping Rarity on the shoulder. "Sorry that things are working out like this, but hey, it's not every day somepony gets invited to a private royal dinner with the King and Queen. It's a lot different than getting invited out to a restaurant." With a little nudge, she added, "And Queen Bee's stubborn as hell, too."

Rarity found herself facing a terrible dilemma. She certainly didn't want to be in a room alone with just Lockwood and Blackburn, not after meticulously spending the past several days trying to avoid the two of them either together or as individuals. But from a social appearance perspective, it was incredibly rude to turn down a royal dinner invitation; if it had been made privately, she could've perhaps wriggled her way out of it, but everypony had heard the offer made.

Sure, nopony here would probably care, but Rarity would.

So, with a big, polite smile that she hoped didn't look insincere, Rarity nodded at Blackburn and Lockwood. "Very well, if you're certain that I won't be imposing or intruding or anything like that, I'd love to have dinner with you. Shall I get changed and meet you somewhere?"

Blackburn shook her head. "No, come as you are. Dinner will be in our private chambers, you'll follow us there once we finish here."

"Aha, that certainly sounds wonderful," Rarity said, her anxiety rising further and her voice along with it. "A nice, quiet, private dinner get-together. I can't wait."

"Oh, you won't have to wait," Lockwood said with another charming grin. "We'll head out right now, it won't take more than five minutes to get there, and Gadget'll send word ahead to have the chefs start preparing the food. You're in good hooves Rarity." He emphasized this by patting her hoof tenderly. "Trust me."

*****

Dinner proved itself to be an awkward experience, to say the least. Rarity was never one to scarf her food down like some more uncouth sorts were wont to do, and she didn't even now, but she usually liked to sit and savor her meals like a proper mare with proper social etiquette should. Instead she ate as quickly as was polite to do so, which still felt far too long for her tastes, but she didn't feel that she had any other choice.

No matter her discomfort, she was a lady, not a barbarian.

The food was delicious, of course; Rarity had nothing but compliments for the palace's kitchen staff, having partaken in a lot of room service over the past week while she was working on designs and such in her guest room. She didn't think that anypony could make a better spaghetti aglio e olio, and the tiramisu was to die for, and then there was the wine, and by the stars above had somepony picked out a fine vintage. Lockwood, most likely. Blast him.

But then dinner was over and the dessert had been finished, and since there was still quite a lot of wine left in the bottle, Rarity knew she wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon. This was a proper dinner invitation into another pony's home, not just some get-together at a fine restaurant; rules were different, and she was not about to allow herself to be anything less than a perfect paragon of politeness.

Oh, the conversation was certainly pleasant enough. They talked about the wedding, about how lovely Cotton's dress was, about the humor in Havoc's inability to be sweet and cuddly. Then they talked about how good it was to see everypony all together again, and most particularly addressed how Rarity had forgotten to mention a few particulars about Twilight Sparkle's changes over the years.

"I'll be honest, that is a legitimate 'whoopsie daisy' on my part, as Pinkie might say," Rarity admitted while sipping from her second glass of wine. "I've known Twilight for ten years now, and she's been an alicorn princess for seven of those years. In fact, she ascended only months after we returned from our first adventure here."

"Known her longer as an alicorn, became the 'status quo' from your perspective," Blackburn said with an understanding nod. "A friend dyes their mane a new color, does so for years. You get used to it, become confused when they stop: forgot original mane color." A breath. "Bigger than a dye job, naturally. Apt metaphor nonetheless."

"She usually hates making metaphors," Lockwood whispered to Rarity, purposefully loud enough that Blackburn would hear it too.

Blackburn smirked at him. "Exceptions made to make others comfortable."

"Yes, that makes a certain degree of sense," Rarity muttered, just a little jealous of how the two always seemed to bounce off one another. "I suppose that if Twilight were to suddenly walk in here without her wings, I'd be most alarmed."

Lockwood paused, staring at the door for a moment. Rarity and Blackburn each eyed him curiously, until he shrugged and said, "Sorry, thought for sure she'd walk in right after you said that. And without her wings, of course." With a smile, he added, "I've come to expect things like that to happen nowadays."

Rarity smiled back. "Oh, don't get me started, darling. Back home, that sort of thing tends to happen all the time. Pinkie said it was 'comedic timing' or something to that effect, as if we were all a part of some story."

She left unsaid that there were times that she wondered if that were true, and that she often would lay awake at night wondering if the author of her life's story just had a fascination with making her suffer romantic heartbreak time and time again. Between oafs like Prince Blueblood and misguided individuals like Trenderhoof, she'd often wondered if anypony could make her happy.

Well, with her present company excluded. Unfortunately.

"Incidentally, speaking of Pinkie, I remember you saying that Pinkie and Rainbow's wedding was a pretty small affair too," Lockwood noted. "Was it anything like Havoc's and Cotton's?"

"A little larger, certainly. Besides the rest of our group all being in attendance, Rainbow and Pinkie each invited all of their families, Rainbow invited a few of her Wonderbolt friends and her old friend Gilda, and Pinkie invited the Cakes and her friend Cheese Sandwich." Rarity then giggled. "So no, not too much larger, but certainly louder. I don't suppose either of you are fans of polka? Or party cannons?"

The conversation carried on from there, for what seemed like hours but certainly couldn't have been, since the wine bottle was still very definitely not empty. Rarity found that she rather missed this, talking with Lockwood and Blackburn like good friends. But as she watched the two of them laugh and smile together, she remembered why she'd been trying to keep her distance. She needed to stop this before she ended up more miserable than she was already.

So, after finishing her glass of wine—still only her second because Rarity certainly didn't drink heavily—she set the empty glass down and politely cleared her throat. "Well, darlings, I think it's getting a little late in the evening, don't you? I'm sure you two have a lot of work to do in the morning now that everypony's all together again, and I would feel just awful if I kept you up."

"Aww, you don't have to go yet Rarity," Lockwood said with one of his accursed charming smiles. "Blackburn and I don't have problems with late nights and early mornings. Comes with the territory of royal duties, and it's nothing that a good cup of coffee won't fix."

"Ah, well, still, I wouldn't want to intrude—"

"Can assure you, not intruding," said Blackburn with a nod. "Will not stop you if you want to go, of course; could be considered rude… no, improper. Still, would prefer you stay longer. Barely seen you all week."

"Well, yes, and I simply must apologize for that if I seemed as if I was avoiding you," Rarity said, chastising herself for saying that much; she could play it off, though. "I would have loved to spend more time with both of you, but dear Cotton's wedding dress took precedence, you understand."

"Indeed. Dress was magnificent, professional quality, wouldn't be out of place in a fashion gallery. Knew you were talented, still, impressive." Blackburn then tilted her head and gave Rarity one of those coy grins again. "However, wedding is over. No reason to want to rush off and get away from us."

"I… don't suppose there is, but—"

"Then stay. Please. My husband and I enjoy your company, enjoy your stories."

Something inside Rarity snapped; she'd seen what Blackburn had been doing long before now, and the mare had just played her hoof out in the open enough for Rarity to confront her about it, politeness be damned. "If I might be so bold, Your Majesty, what game are you playing here? Hmm? What are you getting at?"

Blackburn's expression didn't change. "No game here. Expressions of enjoyment were legitimate—"

"Then why are you trying to get a rise out of me? Are you trying to goad me into some sort of reaction? Because it's working."

"Hmm… yes. It is."

Lockwood glanced between the two. "Ladies, please, there's no reason for everypony to get upset—"

Blackburn leaned forward, steepling her hooves. "Very well. A question, Rarity: do you love my husband?"

Rarity clenched her teeth; it took a lot of effort not to look in Lockwood's direction to see what his reaction had been to the question. "This again. I already told you—"

"Correct, already told me. Consider Lockwood a friend, a good friend. Not like a brother, but closer than 'just' a friend. Forgive me, must clarify, did not intend to ask same question again." Blackburn took a breath. "Question this time, not if you love him. Are you in love with him?"

Rarity balked, hardly able to conceive of the fact that a married mare had just asked her, point blank, if she, if Rarity, was in love with her husband. This was the sort of thing that Rarity had never in her wildest dreams had ever imagined would ever be a topic of discussion at any point in time in her entire life. She'd worked so hard to meticulously craft an image of a good-natured, hard-working, morally-upright mare with standards.

If something like this had happened in Canterlot, she'd be a social pariah within the week.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied through her teeth. "I don't know where you got the idea that—"

"Please, no need to lie," Blackburn said simply. "All friends here. Friends are honest with each other, do not hide things. Question was merely a springboard, provides opportunity to express yourself."

Rarity's eyes darted to Lockwood; his eyes were locked with hers, but he was otherwise quiet and calm, so utterly calm that it concerned Rarity greatly. Why wasn't he reacting to this conversation? Surely he didn't appreciate his wife accusing another mare of having feelings for him, right? That was dangerously close to accusing him of having an affair, and he didn't seem the type to allow anypony to besmirch his character.

So why was he so quiet?

"If you truly don't want to answer it, don't," Blackburn continued, her voice still so calm and polite that it was almost frightening. "But I would like to hear the answer. More importantly, you want to say it… and Lockwood needs to hear it."

Rarity's eyes drifted from Lockwood to Blackburn, then back to Lockwood again. Blast him, why was he still looking at her with those soft, kind eyes and yet not saying a word?

"Rarity—"

"Fine!" Rarity snapped, her attention fully on Blackburn now; she'd pushed her too far, and Rarity was done being polite. "Yes! Alright?! I am! I'm in love with him! How could I not be, he's the perfect stallion! You would know, you married him!"

She shook in place a little; she hadn't even realized that she'd risen out of her seat and slammed her hooves on the table. She couldn't believe what she was saying, but the words just kept tumbling out; she couldn't help herself, because once she got started on a project, no matter what it was, she just had to finish it.

"And it's not his good looks that I love, or his charming personality, or his beautiful eyes, or that friendly smile, or all of his money and fame, or all of the connections he has and the things he can get me at a moment's notice. Those are all nice things, certainly, and those are things that made me think I loved other stallions before him. All of that is secondary to how he treats me.

"I've been in many failed relationships. I've dated stallions who have seen me as nothing more than a trophy, a prize, a bragging right! I've dated stallions who only saw me as a fling, something to distract them, to just have some fun! I've dated stallions who wanted nothing more from me than my body, who used me as a sexual conquest and nothing more!

"But him? He treats me like a pony. He treats me with respect! With honest-to-goodness kindness and compassion, so much so that it's been killing me trying to avoid him all week! And he does it without even trying, because he's just so… so damned perfect!" Rarity sat down firmly in her seat now; she could feel her makeup starting to run. "And I can't have him. I finally met the perfect stallion… and I can't have him…"

She expected Blackburn to do something, to say something, anything, but the so-called Iron Queen of Hope's Point just sat there, eyes fixated on her, chin resting on her steepled hooves, utterly and scarily calm. Rarity tried to get something, anything, out of the other mare's expression, to get some reading, but Blackburn was inscrutable.

She was surprised when she felt Lockwood take her hoof in his, heard him let out a little breath. Her eyes left the visage of Blackburn to look at him instead, despite how ill-advised that seemed; basic survival instincts told her never to take her eyes off of a potential threat or predator, and after everything she'd just said to her how could she see Blackburn as anything but?

"I'm glad to hear you say all of that Rarity," Lockwood said softly, looking at the ground for now. "I really am. You have no idea how relieved I am to hear it."

She balked again; what in the hay was going on? "Wh-what?"

"I've had a long time to come to terms with it, to… well, to realize that what I was feeling wasn't anything to be ashamed of. Not like I thought at first." He shook his head, then raised his eyes to meet hers. "I was conflicted about it, you know? Our 'misunderstanding'? When it happened, I felt… guilt. Shame. Even though nothing happened, those thoughts still plagued my mind."

"But nothing happened," Rarity said firmly, not just for his sake, but for hers, for Blackburn's.

"I know, but it almost did. And that's what the guilt was about. The shame. It wasn't that it almost happened… it was that I wanted it to happen."

Rarity's jaw dropped slightly, but she said nothing. Was he serious? Did he just really say that? Right now? Here? In front of his wife? While she, Rarity, was still in the room? Was he trying to have her thrown into a dungeon? Or executed?

"Like I said, it took me years to realize it, to come to terms with what I was feeling. Not just the guilt and the shame because of what I wanted, but the reason why I wanted it. And no, it wasn't the sex." His grip on her hoof tightened, and he looked up to look her in the eyes. "I realized that I had fallen in love with you. And that I still am."

Rarity felt her heart skip… two, no, three beats; this was far too big of a statement for just a single skip. One skip for the rush of joy and elation that came with hearing the pony you loved with all your heart tell you that he felt the same—and she could see it in his eyes that he was absolutely honest about it. One skip for thesheer shock and awe that he'd just come right out and said it. The third skip, though, was out of… anger.

"What are you doing…?" Rarity muttered, her voice cracking; she could feel her tears flowing freely now, and it took a lot of effort not to just completely lose it and start crying like a little filly.

He tilted his head. "Huh?"

"What are you doing to me? Why would you tell me something like that?" Rarity rose up and pushed his hoof away as confusion gave way to rage. "Did you not hear a word I said? I can't have you. You're married, Lockwood, in case you've forgotten!" She pointed firmly at Blackburn, though her eyes were still locked on his. "To her! That is your wife! You have children with her! Two beautiful children! A family! A home!"

"Rarity, I—"

"I don't know what sort of ideas you may have gotten about me from our little misunderstanding, darling, but I am not the sort of mare who… who…" She stamped her hoof on the floor, hard. "I am not a homewrecker! That is not the kind of mare I am! And I will not stand here and let you insinuate—"

To her surprise, it was Blackburn who spoke next, still utterly calm and collected; she even rose up from her seat, slowly enough that she didn't seem like she was remotely angry. She even gently passed Rarity a cloth napkin to wipe her tears with, a bizarrely comforting gesture.

"Believe that there is another misunderstanding, hmm?" the queen said.

Rarity shook her head. "What?"

"Lockwood isn't saying he doesn't love me. Only said that he loves you." Blackburn tapped her own chest, right over her heart. "Loves me too. So hard to believe?"

"I… he… what?" Rarity had never heard anything like this, and it didn't help that Blackburn was so damned calm about it. How could any mare be calm about this?

"Lockwood has a big heart. Always has." Blackburn tilted her head. "Difficult to believe it has room for two mares?"

Rarity balked, and she looked between the husband and wife like they were both crazy. "I… I don't understand. Your husband is claiming that he's in love with me, with another mare, and you're… not upset? Because you say he still loves you too?"

"Correct."

"Whuh. This… this is…" Rarity slumped back down on her seat; her mind was reeling with confusion, and she absently reached for her glass of wine, disappointed that it was empty.

To her… well, amusement she supposed, Blackburn grabbed the wine bottle and poured her another glass without so much as needing to be asked; she must have sensed that Rarity needed something to calm her nerves. It wasn't a full glass, just enough to give her a little something to wet her dry throat, but that was pleasant and soothing enough; Rarity had never downed a glass of wine so fast in her life.

"I think that you think this comes as a shock to Blackburn, this confession of mine," Lockwood said; he wasn't smiling anymore, but he didn't seem angry or upset, just concerned. For who? For her? "It's not. We've… talked about it."

"You have?" Rarity asked. She shook her head, looking to Blackburn again. "And you didn't get upset?"

Blackburn tapped her chin and hummed. "No. At initial misunderstanding, yes—explained this already—but afterwards? No. Came to understand his feelings, understood the struggle and guilt. Helped him through it, helped him get past it all."

"We'd thought that it was over and done with," Lockwood clarified. "I've been… well, not 'over' you, but I've been able to move on from the guilt of loving you, for about two years now. I still looked on our time together fondly, and Blackburn and I both agreed that while it was a good thing for all three of us that nothing happened between us back then… it was okay to have these feelings now.

"And then… you showed up in my life again, and it all came rushing back, and rushing back hard."

Rarity ignored the surely-unintentional innuendo. He had a bad habit of those. It was cute. Damn him.

With a smile, he added, "You're more beautiful than I remember, and that's saying something. And yet you're still the same Rarity that I remember from all those years ago, still the generous, compassionate mare that's willing to give her all to help anypony in need. That's… a big part of why I love you, actually. You remind me a lot of myself."

"And you're not mad?" Rarity asked Blackburn again.

Blackburn snorted and smiled. "You keep asking. No. Have had a long time to come to terms with it, long time for life to reach point where things like this wouldn't make me 'mad'. Recently reminded… life too short to be mad over most things," she said with a melancholy tone.

"Not to mention, understand Lockwood's feelings," she continued, stepping around the table and gently brushing her hoof against Rarity's shoulder. "You are beautiful, intelligent, charming. Your heart is good, kind, pure. As Lockwood said, reminds me a lot of him." At this, she smiled and added, "Approve of the choice."

"Wh-what?"

"Of course, conflicted in some ways," Blackburn said, taking Rarity's other hoof and giving it a gentle pat. "Said you remind me of stepmother, Silver Glow. Different, yes, but same in many ways. Not Oedipal complex; would only apply to father. Hmm… don't think it has a term. Doesn't apply to stepparent anyway."

Rarity shook her head; she was still very much confused. "I don't know what to make of all of this. Are you saying that you… find me—" Her eyes widened and she turned to face Blackburn, the realization feeling like a ton of bricks to the face. "Wait. Those… those weren't taunts. You actually were flirting with me?"

Blackburn grinned. "Slow on the uptake. Also like Lockwood. Very cute."

"I… but…" Rarity's eyes darted between Blackburn and Lockwood; she was utterly lost. "I have no idea what's going on anymore."

"I think you should just tell her already, BB," Lockwood said, his expression a mix of amusement and concern. "You're just going to confuse her further if you don't."

Blackburn nodded and made her way back to her seat. "Must apologize for stressful confrontation. Did not intend for anypony to get angry or hurt, but needed answers. Satisfied with results. So far." She steepled her hooves again and gave Rarity a slightly… mischievous smile. "Rarity, Lockwood and I have a… proposition for you."

Chapter Fourteen: Reassurance

Winter arrived in Hope's Point just a few minutes after dawn, but with Dawn, naturally; Dawn was the only one who could get her here with any kind of real expedience, and Winter was glad that the early hour didn't impede the other mare's teleportation accuracy. And while she hated having to constantly rely on Dawn for this—she preferred to maintain an independent lifestyle and work ethic—she knew that time was of the essence in everything she did going forward.

Forty days. Thirty-nine now, actually. There was something both terrifying and relieving about knowing just when everything was going to end. Not just start to get worse, but end. This was… much different from Twilight's last visit. Much, much worse.

Winter had spent the entirety of the last day gathering research materials that only Dawn could provide her, things that only Dawn's father Silvertongue would and could know about in the context of the situation; she'd had to promise to reveal why later, of course, but was going to do that anyway. Lorekeeper Gilderoy would be able to provide further clarification and information—a lucky break that he was still alive and easy to communicate with—but other than that, it was just a matter of taking the time to look at every possible angle and solution there was.

Because Winter was under no delusions about what everypony would want to do about this.

But she was here in Hope's Point now with a purpose, and it was for that purpose that she requested a meeting at the royal palace, immediately, to discuss the recent turn of events with the three ponies who had the most influence, power, and impact going forward, at least those who she knew personally. And though it was just after dawn and most ponies were either just waking up or hadn't even woken up yet, Winter knew that when she asked them to be there because of "world-changing" circumstances, they'd show up without complaint.

Golden Dawn herself was, of course, one of the three. As the leader of New Pandemonium and the only pony alive able to communicate with Lord Silvertongue—whose power she needed for a number of reasons—there was no question that she should be involved. The other unicorn dressed professionally as always and had brought a thermos of coffee along to perk herself up.

Queen Blackburn was the next, as being the ruler of Hope's Point meant that she had comparable resources to New Pandemonium but more importantly, she had a healthy relationship with the southern continent's leadership, which would likely be important soon; Harmonia would likely prove necessary for defeating Nihila, and Blackburn was her ticket in. Blackburn had, oddly enough, dressed in just a simple bathrobe and looked just a bit worn out; her own cup of coffee was likely spiked with something, too, knowing her.

But hey, it was her house.

Last was Twilight Sparkle, naturally, because at the end of the day, no matter what was decided here, Winter had to get Twilight home eventually and that was a large part of any future plans. Not to mention that Twilight's own power would likely be of benefit; if her Light magic was strong enough to keep this world alive just a little longer, she was powerful enough to give it a fighting chance, too. She also had a cup of coffee, natch; Twilight had never gone a day without it that Winter could remember, if she could help it.

Once everypony was gathered, Winter explained the situation as it had been explained to her, though in simpler terms and with a little more urgency; these ponies didn't have time to waste. She requested that they save questions for the end of the spiel, and for the most part they held to that; the most she got out of them was expressions of disbelief, mostly from Twilight, a few from Dawn, and only one from Blackburn right at the start. That was to be expected.

Once she was done, though, she concluded her explanation with, "So, that's the situation we're in. I wish there was more I could tell ya, I wish there was more that I could do, but there isn't. The data doesn't lie; this is the boat we're stuck in, and yeah, it's sinkin' fast. Now, what are we gonna do about it?"

"What a preposterous question," Dawn snorted, taking a sip of coffee the way an alcoholic would drink a beer; it seemed to soothe her, at least a little bit. "Naturally our agreed-upon course of action would be to take this lauded third option, to merge our worlds together to prevent utter catastrophe."

"My world would be more than happy to accept any and all comers from this one, no matter which option we choose," Twilight said simply, though unlike Dawn she didn't sip from her coffee as she did so. She'd already finished hers, actually. Two cups. "But for the record, the only options I'm even considering are the second and third. There's no way that I'm going to let you send me home and… and abandon this world to its fate."

"I figured you'd say that," Winter replied, giving Twilight a short nod. "I hadn't been considerin' that one seriously. It's the last resort, the button I have to press if we fail. Because I won't let you sacrifice yourself, your friends, and your world for this one, either."

"Yes, only logical option is a total merger of worlds," said Blackburn firmly. "Best option, provides most opportunity for growth, least opportunity for misfortune; second option, 'immigration', potentially ruins lives, relationships, careers. Those who don't accept it also die. Unacceptable; result would be devastating loss of life.

"Also, will be honest, has practical purposes as well. Relocation of Hope's Point? A new world to explore? Opportunities for growth and change, appeals to my sensibilities, to those of my citizens. Concern over potential loss of technology, city has robust cybernetics development, could potentially harm or kill many. Will need more data, but still, best option."

With a slight tilt of her head. "Also, a… newfound personal interest and investment has arisen. Hmm. Timing couldn't be more convenient."

"How in the fuck is this timing 'convenient'?" Winter snorted.

"As said, personal reasons. Will not divulge further."

"Ehh, whatever." Winter let out a short breath. "So, the consensus for now is that we're goin' with the third option: mergin' the worlds together. I can provide more information and details later as to the specifics of what that process entails, and the staff at HQ is workin' with the data to determine what sort of changes you can all expect from it. But none of that will matter until we find and destroy Nihila."

"My father is diligently searching for her as we speak," Dawn said with a nod. "I will communicate with him following this meeting and provide further updates as to his discoveries."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "So he's still searchin' for her? I take it that that means that our mystery alicorn downstairs isn't Nihila after all?"

Blackburn shook her head. "No. Identifies self as Pandemonia, Harmonia's sister, alicorn goddess of the south from ancient times that seemingly 'vanished', was replaced by Nihila. Situation perplexing. Seeking answers via deep sea exploration. Pandemonia's last memories are of her Warden venturing to minotaur capital, Athenos, alternatively 'Blackcliff'."

"The… minotaurs?" Winter asked, thoroughly confused.

She didn't know this world had minotaurs. They had ponies, zebras, barely had gryphons, only recently got hippogriffs, but they didn't have minotaurs, or changelings or kirins or yaks or buffalo for that matter. Or those weird taller ponies. Or a lot of things. Maybe some of them existed a long time ago, before the world had been assigned a Chronomancer?

"Ancient race, lived here on northern continent, coastal civilization. Sunk into the sea two thousand years ago, left no trace that was ever found." Blackburn nodded firmly. "Fortunate that Hope's Point had vessels in place to explore the sea beforehand. Silver lining to disarmament."

"Indeed, as the only reason that you had the time or wherewithal to convert portions of your fleet to the task was due to our peace agreements," Dawn mentioned, looking mighty proud of herself. "Incidentally—"

"Not the time to discuss it," Blackburn snorted, not even looking at Dawn. "Irrelevant anyway. With world merger, new world order established. Four potential new nations arise from it: New Pandemonium, Hope's Point, Zeb'ra'den, and Utopia. Need to form new allegiances, trade agreements, travel routes, not just with each other but with nations of 'new' world."

Twilight nodded and smiled. "And I can assure both of you that I will do everything in my power as the Princess of Equestria to keep everything peaceful and prosperous, as you two wanted for your own nations. I can only really speak for myself and my country, of course, but I can at least also offer confidence that the Crystal Empire will do the same."

"That is where your brother and sister-in-law serve as rulers, correct?" asked Dawn. She tapped her chin and nodded carefully. "Hmm. Yes, these circumstances present an abundance of opportunities for everypony involved. Peace with Hope's Point would not even be the most pressing concern, not compared to an alliance with… Equestria. It feels odd referring to it as just a country."

"Which is why we need to find and destroy Nihila, bringin' the conversation back around to that," Winter huffed. "So if this mystery alicorn isn't Nihila, but this 'Pandemonia', then I don't suppose she knows who Nihila is?"

"She possesses less information on the subject than we do, and that does not even include the information my father and Lorekeeper Gilderoy are aware of. The southern continent has great stores of knowledge pertaining to Nihila—in ancient times, mind—but nothing on this other alicorn."

"Have requested details as to why," Blackburn noted.

"You said once that you have all of the information that your predecessors had, right?" Twilight asked, looking meaningfully at Winter. "Surely some of them recorded data that might be of use?"

Winter shook her head. "This world's first Chronomancer was Sunrise Shake, and she was assigned here one thousand five hundred eighty-two years ago, well after Pandemonia supposedly disappeared, accordin' to her story anyway. Chronomancer HQ found this world two years before that and assigned it a field agent when the southern civil war caused a major imbalance."

"Great. There goes that idea, I guess."

"The general consensus I believe that we have arrived at is that we should continue to perform the tasks that have been assigned to us regarding the mystery of Pandemonia and how it is related to Nihila," Dawn summed up. "In the meantime, I will assume that the information involved in our discussion is to be kept classified?"

Winter shook her head. "No, not at all. The Secretkeeper Protocol was lifted in order for me to even have this discussion with ya, and since you lot are workin' with a bunch of folks that're helpin' ya with these problems, I absolutely want ya to tell them what's goin' on, eh?"

Blackburn gave Dawn a pointed look. "Yes, would seem important to share this with others, hmm?"

Dawn stuck her nose in the air. "If we are permitted to discuss it, then I have no intention of keeping this information from my sisters. Curaçao naturally is assisting with the investigation into Nihila's whereabouts via her mysterious cult, which she believes is hiding in the Redblade Mountains."

"Dawn, you need to tell your other sisters too," Twilight said softly. "This isn't something that should be kept from them. From anypony, really, but I can understand not informing the general population. Your sisters' lives are potentially going to be completely changed if we go through with this, and they may be able to help."

"Again, I had no intention of hiding this information from my sisters. Together we were instrumental in destroying Nihila's physical body, so it naturally follows that they would still be instrumental in defeating Nihila now." A pause. "Yes, even Insipid. However, I will inform Curaçao first and consult with her on our course of action."

"Southern leaders also have stake in this," Blackburn said with a terse nod. "Have already contacted them in regards to Pandemonia. Received report yesterday: messenger has arrived, delivered message, and southern nobility is responding. Will be en route to Hope's Point shortly for a summit. Anticipate arrival within a week, probably less."

"I was never informed that you were planning on discussing anything with the southern nobility," Dawn noted.

"Seems obvious course of action, but you didn't need to know," Blackburn snorted with a smug smirk. "Also, made arrangements during sandstorm, couldn't relay information to you anyway except via Ambassador Gray Skies. Informed her, of course. Ah… she did not tell you either then. Hmm. Curious. I wonder why."

Winter rolled her eyes. "Okay, well, if we're all done snippin' at each other, I think that our business here is done." She rose from her seat and shook her head. "I'm gonna go inform Hourglass of the developments, you three should inform those closest to ya, keep folks in the loop as you see fit."

"Are you sure we can really just tell anypony?" Twilight asked. "I mean, I don't know who I should tell besides my friends from my world, or who I'm allowed to tell."

"Twilight, you could tell every single pony you come across on your way to the restroom for all I care," Winter replied simply. "It won't matter. If we succeed with the plan, they need to know they're movin' anyway, and if we fail and I have to send you home, well… they're gonna die. Might as well let 'em know why."

"Are… are you going to be okay? I know that this must be hard, seeing as your entire life's work is based on keeping the world safe from situations like this. But from what you've told us… it wasn't your fault, Winter."

Winter snorted and turned away. "Yeah, well… it still feels like it is. I'll be fine. Now, if you'll excuse me?"

She headed out the door of the small meeting room that Blackburn had arranged for the meeting, giving a little nod to Gadget who was stationed outside to ensure privacy, then headed off on her way to find Hourglass and let her know what was going on. She was already dreading the conversation; how does one explain to a pony who can still remember one world dying that they're going to have to watch it happen again?

She already hated it enough as it was.

*****

Fluttershy arrived at the lounge of the royal palace early in the morning, not too long after the crack of dawn in fact. She wasn't used to waking this early lately, though it wasn't unusual for her to do so at home when there were certain animals that needed to be taken care of. She only really took the time to dress before coming down here, still rubbing some sleep out of her eyes as she went.

It was why she was waking up early that intrigued Fluttershy, actually, not just when. Rarity had invited her to breakfast, which in and of itself wasn't odd, but the timing was where the confusion came in.

Rarity tended to sleep in until mid-morning—to get her beauty sleep, naturally—and even back home was rarely ever seen until the sun was over the horizon; Applejack would often joke that Rarity and Rainbow Dash at least had that in common. Neither of them had been amused.

So naturally, having Rarity be up and alert this early in the morning, earlier than Fluttershy, and inviting Fluttershy to a very early morning breakfast was just… puzzling.

Rarity waved her over from the little table she'd sat at in the corner, where there was a great deal of privacy compared to elsewhere, where assorted members of the palace staff and guards were present having their own breakfasts. Fluttershy had noticed that many of them preferred to do so in the lounge rather than the dining hall, but neither room was ever too crowded.

"Fluttershy, darling, thank you so much for joining me," Rarity said with a big, friendly smile; she seemed much too alert for this time of day. "I'm dreadfully sorry if I woke you earlier."

"Oh no, that's okay Rarity. You didn't wake me at all," Fluttershy replied, wiping some sleep out of her eyes; she wasn't lying, exactly, because she was just waking up when Rarity had knocked on her door. "And I'm always happy to join you. It's just so unusual to have breakfast with you this early."

"Oh I know, dear, but I just felt like being a bit of an early riser today, that's all."

As she sat down, Fluttershy saw that Rarity had even already ordered their food, and as always she knew exactly what Fluttershy was in the mood for, in this case just a simple, lightly-toasted bagel—an "everything" bagel—with a side of cream cheese. Rarity herself had ordered a bowl of assorted fruit, which Fluttershy knew meant she was eating light but wanted a bit of variety and flavor, plus the pick-me-up from the sugar.

Though with how big the cup of iced coffee Rarity was drinking from was, she doubted that Rarity needed that much energy. It explained why she was so chipper.

Rarity was dressed to impress, as always, with her favorite new coffee-colored jacket over a green sundress today, but there was something else, something new and different: a scarf. By itself it wasn't unusual since it was getting colder around here, after all. However, Fluttershy had been friends with Rarity for many years, and she knew the difference between an "I'm cold" scarf and an "It's in right now" scarf, and this scarf was neither one of those, not with the way it was wrapped around Rarity's neck so completely.

Sure, the scarf was still absolutely fashionable—Rarity wouldn't wear it if it wasn't—but it definitely wasn't just to make a statement.

"So, how are you this fine morning, dear?" Rarity asked as she worked on her fruit bowl, popping a grape into her mouth to start.

"Oh, just fine Rarity, thank you," Fluttershy replied as she spread the cream cheese on her perfectly-toasted bagel. "I like your scarf."

Rarity paused for a moment, then closed her eyes, smiled, and nodded. "Well, you're getting right into it, aren't you? I suppose it's too early in the morning to try and beat around the bush, hmm?"

Fluttershy nodded back. "I was just curious, is all, and… yeah, much too early for small talk. I know you, Rarity, and I know that you don't just wear a scarf for any old reason. It's been scarf weather for days now, but this is the first time I've seen you wear one since we got here."

"I figured that you'd notice. I was hoping to have a little small talk beforehand, but you're too clever for me." Rarity took a short breath, then leaned in and in a voice barely above a whisper she said, "Can you keep a secret, darling? I would very much like to keep this conversation private, mare to mare."

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "Of course I can. Is something wrong?"

"Oh goodness no. Nothing's wrong at all. It's what's right that I wanted to talk about with you, actually." Rarity glanced to the side to make sure nopony was looking, then tugged her scarf up ever-so-slightly on her right side.

Fluttershy tilted her head and observed Rarity for a moment, then gasped quietly and put her hoof to her mouth, barely hiding the mischievous little smile. There was a little mark there, a rather familiar one that she'd seen on Rarity in the past before and that Rarity would always choose to hide with a scarf. Rarity was the only one of her friends that ever hid a hickey; Pinkie would wear the ones Rainbow gave her with pride, and Applejack just never seemed to care.

And Twilight, of course, never had any to hide in the first place.

"Oh my," Fluttershy peeped. "I didn't even know you were seeing anypony." She paused, blinking. "Wait a second, Rarity, are you seeing somepony? We're not in our own world, you know? Doesn't that seem, I don't know… weird?"

"I know, dear, I know. But… a most wonderful opportunity presented itself, and I just… I had to take it." Rarity set her scarf back down and set her hoof on the table, touching Fluttershy's other hoof gently. "Now, I should say that I'm not just hiding this because I want to. It's because I've been asked to keep this a secret, for now at least. I can tell my friends, naturally, but I don't want to tell any of them but you just yet."

"Why not?"

"Because I think you're the only one who will take this in stride, so to say. Twilight wouldn't understand it, Applejack would probably judge me at first until she had time to think about it." With a roll of her eyes, she added, "And Rainbow and Pinkie would want all the lurid details, none of which I am about to share. I'll tell everypony later, but for now, just you."

Fluttershy raised her eyebrow again. "Oh, this sounds serious. Who would want you to keep this a secret?" She paused, then her eyes widened in a terrifying realization. "Nooo…"

Rarity bit her lip and nodded.

"B-but, Rarity… he's—" She paused, making sure she wasn't speaking too loud or that anypony was listening in. "Rarity, he's married. To the Queen."

"Yes, he is." Rarity's grin turned cheeky and her hoof pawed gently at her scarf, just over where the hickey was. "But he didn't give me this. She did."

Now Fluttershy was confused rather than scandalized. "Wh-what? What do you mean 'she did'?"

"I can't and won't go into details, darling, but suffice to say, the situation was certainly not anything I've ever experienced before, and definitely not anything I'd ever have expected from them. If you told me yesterday that I was going to do what I did last night, well, I'd say that you were crazy… and perhaps a bit lewd-minded."

Fluttershy leaned back in her seat and looked at her friend, reading her expression and trying to get a feel for what was going on. "Well, you seem happy about it, so I'll assume that this was a mutual thing? That everypony was happy with what happened?"

"Oh, we were quite happy about it, yes." Rarity tapped her hooves together. "I know that we have to go home eventually, dear, but… until then, they've asked me if I wanted to keep this going. I said that I did, and… well, there are some details that I'm keeping private for now."

"Well, if it makes you happy, then I say go for it," Fluttershy said with a smile and a nod. "How did this happen, anyway?"

"Well, again, no details, but I heard that a certain mare admitted that she was in love with a truly wonderful stallion, and that wonderful stallion admitted that he'd loved that certain mare for a very long time, years in fact after they'd last seen each other." A pause, followed by a lick of her lips. "And then that stallion's wife asked that certain mare to join her and her husband for the evening in their bed."

Fluttershy's face was red; she never in her wildest dreams thought that Rarity would ever be involved in such a… provocative tale. "W-wow. This was her idea?"

"Well, she and her husband had agreed on it beforehand, and she said that it was a way for all three of them to be happy, even if it was only temporary." Rarity smiled and nodded. "And yes, it does make me happy. His feelings for me are genuine, as are mine for him, and… and I get along well with her, and now that I know that she isn't angry, oh, you cannot imagine how much of a relief that is.

"I know, it's not what I always imagined a loving relationship to be, definitely not like any dream that I've ever had, but… maybe it's better. And yes, I know that soon I'll have to leave and that I'll never see them again, but…" Rarity sighed and looked at the ceiling, her other hoof drifting from her chest to her stomach. "But I know that I'll be able to cherish this time with them. Always."

Fluttershy nodded in understanding. "I'm happy that you found some happiness then, Rarity. You deserve it, even if it's only just for now."

"Thank you, darling. I appreciate your support, as always."

After another pause, Fluttershy, redder than before, coughed into her hoof. "So, um… h-how was it? The, um… the, y'know."

"You mean the sex?" Rarity smiled wide and playfully slapped Fluttershy's hoof. "Oh, the sex was fantastic. But a lady doesn't share details, hmm?"

She and Fluttershy shared a brief fit of giggles; Fluttershy was happy for her friend, that much was for certain. Sure, the whole thing sounded strange and unusual to her, but if it made Rarity happy and got her to smile and laugh and especially joke again, then what was the harm in it?

The two were interrupted when they saw Twilight enter the room, who came walking over to them with a purpose. "Rarity, Fluttershy," Twilight said, addressing them each with a small nod. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but I'm getting everypony from home together for a meeting in five minutes; you're the last two I've told about it. I've got… I've got big news for you all. I can't discuss it here. Meet me in my room, okay?"

Fluttershy and Rarity shared a brief look, then nodded, quickly working through what was left of their breakfast. Whatever it was, it must have been important; Twilight was rarely this severe about anything.

*****

Twilight made her way down into the deepest bowels of the royal palace of Hope's Point, her mind still ablaze and reeling with all of the day's events, and it wasn't even noon. But she knew that it wasn't over yet; her friends knew what was happening now, and they all agreed: this world in which they'd found themselves needed to be saved, no matter what that meant.

Winter had been insistent that the world itself—the physical matter, the earth, the sky, etcetera—was beyond saving. But they could still save the ponies, zebras, and whatever other creatures they could, even if they might have to abandon their homes and lives. All that would matter was that they lived.

And that was exactly what Twilight was going to do, no matter what it took. Winter would have to drag her kicking and screaming back to her own world if she could help it.

And that meant that Twilight needed to know everything. She needed every piece of information she could find, down to the teeniest, tiniest detail. Since information pertaining to Nihila's location was still being looked into, and since Nihila's history over the past few thousand years was well-documented and obviously wasn't helping, she figured that there had to be information that was unknown. A weakness, maybe? An idea as to where she would hide?

And, more importantly, where had she come from if this "Pandemonia" had been the original southern goddess?

Thus, Twilight knew that she had to talk to the other alicorn. Maybe she could ask her a question that nopony else had thought of yet? Maybe she would have some insight that others lacked because she herself was an alicorn? There had to be something that she could do.

When she arrived in the top-secret ultra-classified chamber down in the deepest parts of the palace, she was surprised to see that it had been decorated like some sort of guest room. There was a comfortable-looking bed, several pillows and blankets, a desk with a chair, a large couch made for lounging, and one of those Teevees, a large one that had been fastened to the wall. She understood that Queen Blackburn had wanted to make her guests comfortable.

"Guests" was plural, because apparently Pandemonia wasn't the only one living down here, as there was also the gryphon that had come along for the ride, so to speak. Twilight wished she had been present for the discovery; it sounded absolutely fascinating, like discovering the long-lost secret proof of the existence of a mythical creature. Not too far off, actually, considering gryphons were supposed to be extinct and alicorns weren't supposed to have physical forms.

She also wished that she'd been able to see the gryphon ruins in the first place, but she wouldn't give up what she had with Aculeata, not for anything, certainly not for that.

Besides Pandemona and Gilderoy, there was another guest in the room that she hadn't expected, a young unicorn colt with a peach-colored coat and a spiky orange-and-gold mane that looked sort of like a campfire. He was wearing a little brown jacket over a plaid shirt and sported a set of goggles with green-tinted lenses which looked more like overly-large glasses, though they weren't over his eyes at the moment.

"Oh!" the little colt peeped, having been the first one to notice Twilight's presence; if anything, he looked like he'd actually been expecting her, as the other two were busy in a private conversation and hadn't noticed yet. "H-hello there. Are you here to visit Miss Pandemonia and Lorekeeper Gilderoy?"

Twilight smiled and nodded at the colt. "I am. I don't think we've met. My name's Twilight Sparkle. And you are?"

"I'm Sunspire, Miss Sparkle. A pleasure to meet you," he said, stepping over to offer his hoof. He seemed to pause in surprise as Twilight reached down to shake his hoof. "Wait… 'Twilight Sparkle'? That name sounds familiar. Are you the same Twilight Sparkle that Miss Dawn used to talk about?"

"That's me," Twilight replied. "Assuming that your 'Miss Dawn' is Golden Dawn, of course."

"Yup! Wowww… she never mentioned that you were so tall." He squinted and rubbed his eyes; he looked like he might be suffering from a headache. "Or so bright. Wow. I've only met one unicorn that glows like you do, Miss, and that's Miss Dawn herself." A look towards Pandemonia and back made him add, "You're almost as bright as Miss Pandemonia is, and even Miss Dawn isn't that bright. Close, but not quite."

Twilight tilted her head. "I don't know what you mean by 'bright'. Do you mean my coat color?"

"Oh, no, I mean your magic."

"My magic? But… I'm not casting any spells?"

"Your inner magic. I have the ability to 'see' magical energy, so long as I'm not wearing my goggles," he said, tapping said goggles on his head. "Even non-unicorns have inner magic that I can see, but unicorns tend to be a lot brighter, and Miss Dawn used to be the brightest pony I'd ever seen. Then I met Miss Pandemonia… and now you."

"I see. And what are you doing down here, Sunspire? Are you using that ability of yours to help somehow?"

He scratched his cheek. "A little bit. Miss Pandemonia's magic has been returning to her ever since she woke up, and I've been keeping track of it to help the Lorekeeper with the data he's been measuring." He perked up, then grabbed a small stack of datapads that he had in his saddle bag. "That and getting as many history books as I can to help Miss Pandemonia learn about everything she's missed!"

Twilight smiled. "Well now, that's very nice of you. Have they been helping her at all?"

"A little bit, yeah," he said with a nod. "I think Missus Gray's tours have been helping her a lot more, but this is the best that I can do at the moment. I've been trying to catalogue and arrange everything into specific categories to help her space out the learning so that there's some rhyme and reason to it. In her physical body, she has to read just like you and me, y'know?"

"Oh? You've been organizing them for her too? Well now, aren't you a helpful little librarian?"

"I try, Miss Sparkle."

"Y'know, I used to be a librarian myself a long time ago. I still enjoy reading of course, but long gone are the days when that was my primary focus. You and I should have a little chat, huh? Just a couple of library enthusiasts talking about books." Twilight stared up at the ceiling. "Sweet, sweet books…"

He chuckled. "That sounds nice. Most of the ponies I know don't really appreciate reading like I do." He cleared his throat. "Um, but I shouldn't be keeping you from your visit. You didn't come down here to talk to me."

"It's no trouble at all, Sunspire. We'll talk later though, okay?"

"Okay, Miss Sparkle."

She stepped past him and approached the other two occupants of the room, the gryphon Lorekeeper, Gilderoy, and the alicorn goddess given form, Pandemonia. The former fascinated her because of the history of his race, not to mention those strange implants he had; the latter both fascinated and frightened her because despite everything she'd heard about her, she did still look exactly like the Nihila she remembered from seven years ago.

The two turned to face her—they'd been in a private conversation up until now—and greeted her with warm looks and a little bit of curiosity. Gilderoy addressed her first. "Well hello there. You must be the famous Princess Twilight Sparkle. Queen Blackburn told us that you'd likely be coming down here eventually."

"Hello, pleased to meet you," Twilight replied with a nod. "That would make you Lorekeeper Gilderoy."

"Obviously. Not too many gryphons making their way around here these days, hmm?"

She balked. "Oh. I… I didn't mean—"

He chuckled. "Not to worry, Princess. I've long since come to terms with the fate of my kind and my new role in the world. With everything that's been going on over this past month, as well as the… troubling news that Queen Blackburn just delivered us, I daresay that a little bit of gallows humor goes a long way to alleviating stress. A common method of deflection."

"Ah, yeah, I suppose it is." Twilight then gave a deeper nod to Pandemonia. "And you're Pandemona, of course. I know know if there's any sort of proper title that I should address you by—"

"Just Pandemonia will do," the other alicorn said, eyeing Twilight up and down briefly. "I am in no state to accept any sort of reverence or worship in my current form, and so I refuse to allow ponies to treat me as such; it is an abuse of power, a sign of megalomania in a sense, and I have no interest in such things." With a tilt of her head, she added, "You have been given the title of 'Princess'?"

"That's right. I'm the leader of the country of Equestria in the world where I'm from."

"Indeed, so I have heard. What I was not told was that you were an alicorn like myself. I suppose ponies like to keep that part a surprise?"

Twilight blinked, and she glanced down at her sweater which still hid her wings. "You can tell?"

Pandemonia smiled and nodded. "There is a saying: 'like recognizes like'. I do not believe that it technically applies here—my understanding is that it is meant as a form of insult, actually—but I feel that it has a basis in fact." She gestured at Twilight's sides. "Even without seeing your wings, I can sense your essence, your soul, and it resembles my own in many ways.

"Were it not for the information that was given to me by Queen Blackburn this morning, I might consider this a sign of great upheaval, of a great looming threat that comes to doom us all." A pause, and she considered her words with a tap to her chin. "Hmm. Well, that actually doesn't seem to be our current predicament, doesn't it? But through Adversity… we become stronger."

"In my world, alicorns aren't quite so rare," Twilight said with a grin. "Eh… technically speaking, anyway. When I first came to this world and returned home, there were only three alicorns: Princess Celestia, my mentor; Princess Luna, her sister; and Princess Cadance, my babysitter and sister-in-law. Then I ascended, and then Cadance gave birth to my niece, Flurry Heart."

Gilderoy's jaw dropped. "Your sister-in-law gave birth to a natural-born alicorn?"

Twilight smiled. "She did. Believe me, it was quite an event. She's the first natural-born alicorn in our world's entire history; even Celestia and Luna ascended into their alicorn states, as did Cadance. She's a very special filly."

"Indeed she is," said Pandemonia with an air of… mystique in her tone. "Even my sister and I, alicorn goddesses in this world, were not per se 'natural-born'. We came into existence as beings of Light and Dark, luminous and immaterial. These forms that we have taken are merely the result of thousands and thousands of years of reverence by ponykind, forms which their minds can comprehend."

Now it was Twilight's turn to tilt her head, intrigued and confused. "Really? So… this isn't your true form?"

"No, merely one that mortals are comfortable with, in a manner of speaking. Within the Dreaming, our home plane, my sister and I are pure energy. In time, even our new… 'brother' Lord Silvertongue will abandon his antiquated notions of how an alicorn should appear and will take on a form that truly represents what a god should be."

"That's… wow, that's certainly a different way of looking at alicorns," Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head as she wrapped her head around the words.

Her world didn't have actual "gods" in the same sense that this world did; Discord could technically be considered such a being based on the power and scope of his domain of Chaos, but nopony had ever referred to him as such. She imagined that if anypony ever did, his ego would become truly, immeasurably enormous. Probably enough to have its own gravitational field.

"What brings you down here to our humble abode, Princess Sparkle?" asked Gilderoy, gesturing around the room. "I would offer you a drink, but as neither Panemonia nor myself require food nor drink to function—her divinity, my implants—I don't believe that Her Majesty installed any sort of refrigeration units to keep beverages cool."

"A pity, as I understand that is the best way to maintain the ideal temperature for most alcoholic beverages," said Pandemonia with a curious grin. "Have you ever sampled the alcoholic fare here in the city, Twilight? It is most disgusting, a poison for both the tongue and stomach, and the liver as well from my understanding. Yes, quite revolting. I am growing fond of it."

Twilight blinked. "Er, right. Uh, I'm actually here because I wanted to have a chance to at least meet the two of you, to see if there was anything I could do to help with the situation we're all finding ourselves in. I assume Her Majesty told you both about our intended solution to the problem?"

"She did," Gilderoy said, stroking his beard. "Unfortunately, until we have the opportunity to explore whatever is left of the minotaur capital, Athenos, there is little new information that we can provide to assist. It is our hope that we can find something there that may help jog Pandemonia's memory."

"Indeed," said Pandemonia, clearly more than a little disheartened. "But we appreciate the offer anyway, Twilight."

"Well, okay then. So long as you both know that I want to help however I can, that's suitable for me." Twilight tilted her gaze over towards young Sunspire, who was busy organizing a shelf with the datapads. "I hear that Sunspire has been helping you acclimate, Pandemonia?"

"Yes, he has," Pandemonia replied, her grin returning. "A precocious youth, and well-educated at that. In my time, an average colt of his age would either be an apprentice to an artisan, an assistant on his parents' farmland, or a squire to a knight. If he was born into the nobility, then maybe his education would be on par, for the day at least."

"Who is he, exactly?"

"I believe he is an associate of Miss Dawn's," said Gilderoy. "A ward of hers in some capacity, though I'm not certain exactly what capacity that is."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "He's Dawn's ward? Like an… apprentice? Assistant?"

Gilderoy shrugged. "I do not know. Though I do find it slightly odd that she left him here during the entirety of the sandstorm rather than returning home with him to New Pandemonium. And… still leaves him here, actually."

"She left him here? Why?"

"That would be a question for him, or for her, I feel." Gilderoy paused to poke at his beak. "Incidentally, Princess, I have an interesting theory to present to you. I hope that I am not revealing too much in saying that the theory pertains both to you and to your genetic 'clones', as they referred to themselves? Otherwise this would be most awkward."

Twilight frowned, sighed, and nodded. "Right. Golden Dawn and the others are clones of me and my friends. I learned about it last night." She shook her head. "It's disgusting. Not what they are, of course, I mean… how they were made. Lord Silvertongue violated me and my friends by doing what he did. What's more, he robbed those mares of so much of their lives. I understand his motivations, but—"

"Princess, if there's anyone in this world whom you do not need to justify your anger with Lord Silvertongue to, it's me," Gilderoy said with a hard expression. "After what he did to my people, it sickens me to my very core that I must work alongside him in order to save our world. Oh yes, his motivations were good and he deemed it necessary, and thus he justified it in terms of ends and means. And that is why he is a monster. Not evil, no. But a monster nonetheless.

"Say what you will about the good he has done, the good he is trying to do, but I know him. The concepts of good and evil are nothing to him. He considers the moral right and wrong to be ideals for children; the logical right and wrong are all that matter. He justifies the murder of tens of thousands of gryphons by saying that it saved billions of pony lives over hundreds of years. Cold, heartless calculus."

Twilight nodded again. "On that, we agree. I don't like working together with him either, but I do not blame his daughters for his wrongdoings."

"An ancient saying from the south seems relevant here: 'the sins of the father shall pass down to his sons'. Southern pony nobility has quite an interesting history and philosophy, for if a father can bequeath wealth, then surely he could bequeath debt."

"Well, it certainly isn't a philosophy that I would ever agree to." She shook her head. "Anyway, all of that is besides the point. You had a theory about me and my friends, about Dawn and her sisters?"

"Ah! Right, of course. Forgive me, just a little… venting." He cleared his throat. "You are aware of the enhanced capabilities that Miss Dawn and her sisters possess, yes? I believe that the parlance used by less academic individuals would be 'superpowers'? I believe that Ambassador Skies has utilized the term."

"You mean like Havoc's Pyromancy and Velvet's Hemomancy?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm well aware of their abilities. Gray said that it was because she and her sisters underwent an infusion of magical power from Nihila, Silvertongue, and the northern Beacon all at once. It gave them these powers."

"Hmm… no," said Gilderoy; Twilight was certain that if he had glasses, he'd have adjusted them. She'd seen Dawn do the same earlier this morning when making a point. "Technically correct, yes, but a misconstrued interpretation of events. I would agree with Ambassador Skies absolutely, had I not met your friends Rarity and Fluttershy and interacted with them for as long as I have."

"Oh? Why? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing like that. But I am a curious sort, and when I was informed of this genetic duplication, I decided that I needed to obtain a little data."

Gilderoy took from the pocket of his robe a slender metal tube, like the makeshift "wands" that stage magicians used; Trixie had something just like it in her cutie mark, though hers had a star on the end, his did not. His was perfectly plain, silver and utterly featureless, likely easy to mistake for something utterly unimportant.

"I always carry my wand on my person now that I have left Aeropolis, and it is always scanning my surroundings and collecting data on the environment. Having never left my Sanctuary since the genocide of my people, many things have changed; my wand collects information so that I may document those changes." With a grin, he added, "As a Lorekeeper, it is quite literally my job to know everything, you understand."

Twilight eyed the tube, the "wand" carefully. "Okay, so… what did you find out?"

"I won't pretend to know everything about your world, Princess, but I do know a thing or two about magic, and there is a great magical potential within your friends. That same potential energy resides in individuals such as Ambassador Skies. The difference is that the potential in Ambassador Skies, as well as that within her sisters, has been 'realized', to put it into simpler terms. The potential in your friends has not. It is locked away, hidden, but it is there."

Twilight balked. "You're saying that my friends potentially have enhanced abilities as well? Like Gray and Havoc and the rest?"

With a stroke of his beard, he said, "Yes. I believe that it may have something to do with whatever bond the six of you share that made you such interesting targets to Silvertongue and Nihila seven years ago. Perhaps in your world this potential has been realized, but it hasn't in this one because it manifests differently."

Twilight hummed in thought for a moment, then perked up in realization. "The Elements of Harmony. In our world, we were the only ones capable of using them. Are you saying that we could somehow use something like that here?"

"Perhaps, but I don't know for certain. However, I can offer your friends assistance in 'unlocking' this potential, so to speak. It is a simple spell, actually, one that is a crucial part of the wand-making process and as such one that I am intimately familiar with. If your friends would like, I could perform the spell on them at any time. Just send them here."

"I suppose that I could let them know, Lorekeeper," she replied with a nod. "They'll make their own decisions, I'm sure. I don't know if they'd even want such powers. Some of them, maybe. But not all."

He nodded and smiled back. "Excellent. I figure that if we are seeking out Nihila so that we may put an end to her for good, every advantage we can get will be necessary."

"That's… actually a really good point."

Twilight gave him a tight-lipped smile. This was a very strange conversation; a gryphon with mechanical implants and a wand, the last of his race, had just offered to give her friends superpowers to help them in their battle against a goddess of evil. It was like a tale right out of one of Spike's comic books.

She cleared her throat. "Well, if there's nothing else I can do for you two, I'll just go let my friends know about this new development. I'm sure they'd be very interested in whatever help you can offer them."

*****

Fluttershy had never been on a rollercoaster before, but she'd certainly seen what they looked like. A big, big, big climb with a tall high, followed by a huge drop, followed by twists and turns and loops and humps and dips and every other possible thing that could be imagined to make the ride more terrifying. Sorry, "exciting". Well, just looking at one of those contraptions was enough to make Fluttershy feel queasy and uneasy.

With everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours or so, give or take, she felt like she was on one of those very same rollercoasters. From the amazing high of seeing her dear friends again and learning that Twilight and Applejack were safe, to seeing Gray and Havoc get into a terrible fight with their sister, to learning about Twilight's new friend Aculeata, to waking up and learning that Rarity had spent the night with Lockwood and Blackburn, and then finishing it all off by having Twilight tell them that this world was dying, well… it was a lot to take in.

And then, just to add one last little dip of "excitement", Twilight tells them that Lorekeeper Gilderoy wanted to see them? Something about superpowers? What was this, one of Spike's comic books? Or one of those Ogres and Oubliettes campaigns that Discord liked to play with Spike and Big Mac?

Everypony else was reacting… well, pretty much how Fluttershy expected them to be reacting to all of this, actually.

"You really think this here gryphon fella can do what he says he can do?" Applejack asked as the group descended the stairs down into the deepest reaches of the royal palace. "'Cause y'know, ta me, it sounds like a big ol' bunch o' hooey."

"Are you kidding? You've seen what our friends are able to do," argued Rainbow. "Havoc can launch fireballs and shoot off like a rocket, and she says she can get so hot she can melt through steel!

"Now, sure, I dunno what all the others can do exactly, but we know that they all have superpowers. Havoc told me and Pinkie, Gray told Shy and Rarity; it's legit. So, if this old gryphon dude says that he can give us some too, I don't see why we wouldn't want to take him up on the offer."

"I didn't say we shouldn't wanna do it, Dash, I asked if ya think he can. I don't rightly know much about what happened; all them words got kinda confusin', yeah?" Applejack briefly removed her hat to scratch her head. "I ain't know nothin' 'bout no 'gin-eh-ticks' or whatever that is, but it all sounded like it was just a whooole bunch o' magic at work."

"Well, if he says he can do it, I don't see why we'd doubt him. Why would he lie about that?"

"I don't think she's worried about him lying, Dashie," said Pinkie as she hopped along. "I think it's more that she doesn't think it'll work. I think it's because she's scared that it's gonna hurt, 'cause when it happened to our friends they had to be asleep for it, like going into surgery! And it totally changed them! 'Cause before that, they were actual clones, right?"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "I ain't worried that it's gonna hurt, Pinkie. I'm just worried that it won't work out the way we think it will. I know, I know, there ain't no sense in not given' it a go, but I dunno, I'm worried that it might… y'know… change us, like Pinkie said. Make us different from how we are now. Or who."

"An awfully philosophical take on the issue, dear," said Rarity. Fluttershy could tell she was nervous, more now than she had been when they started coming down here; maybe Applejack's concern was concerning her too?

"You alright there, Rares?" aked Rainbow. "You've been real quiet all night. I expect that kind of stuff from Shy, not you."

"Yeah, you barely asked any questions when Twilight was telling us all about what was at stake!" added Pinkie. "You only asked about what might happen with that other option Twilight talked about, the one we weren't gonna take."

Rarity nodded. "Yes, well, I just wanted some clarification. I absolutely agree that the third option is best, naturally, but I was concerned over the potential dangers of the third option and just wondered if the second might be the safer choice for everypony involved."

Fluttershy, of course, knew it was more than that. If Lockwood and Rarity had really come to some sort of arrangement, one that involved Blackburn even, then surely she wanted to make sure that they were okay. They were all invested, of course, and any one of them would've probably asked the same questions Rarity did. She was just quicker about it, that was all, and had a more personal investment.

After all, it was certainly one thing for all of them to be worried that their friends might change if they simply "transferred" over to their Equestria from this one, if they'd retain everything about them that made them them. It was another thing entirely to wonder if the same thing would affect somepony you were in love with.

But yes, it was pretty much universally agreed upon that the third option was best. And if Nihila needed to be… eliminated, well, that meant that everypony needed to do their part to make that a reality. Fluttershy wasn't sure what she could do, even if she were given superpowers, but she was certainly going to at least try to support her friends however she could.

There was no way that she was going to let anything happen to her friends and their families. Not if she could help it.

Fluttershy hadn't been to the "super top secret" room underneath the palace since the first time she met Pandemonia, so she was surprised to see that the layout had changed a little. There were all sorts of accoutrements in here now, not just so that Lorekeeper Gilderoy would have a place to sleep and rest, but so that Pandemonia herself could become accustomed to "mortal sensations" like sleeping, lounging, resting, even, amusingly, watching Teevee. Gray had mentioned something like that, anyway.

The gryphon lorekeeper was the only one present at the moment, as Pandemonia had gone on another little trip with Gray and Flathoof, supposedly to watch a movie at the movie theater and see what all the fuss was about. The old gryphon noticed them come in and smiled, nodded to acknowledge them, put down whatever it was he was reading, then stood and approached.

"Ah, you must all be the other friends of Princess Sparkle," Gilderoy said, looking between Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack. "I am Lorekeeper Gilderoy, though I'm sure that you've all heard enough about me by now that I don't need to introduce myself any further than that. You three are new faces to me, though."

"Hi!" Pinkie greeted, bouncing forward to take the gryphon's metal talon and give it a shake. "I'm Pinkie Pie, the greatest party planning pony in all the world and beyond! That's right, I said it: I'm the best party planner in our world, in this world, in any world, and I will fight to the death to defend my honor!"

"Quite a bold claim," Gilderoy chuckled as she shook away.

"I like your claw-hand-talon thing! It's cool to the touch, like when I accidentally leave a spoon in the ice cream in the freezer."

"Ah, yes, regulatory temperature control. A new feature installed by Miss Gadget, or rather, an upgraded version of the previous technology." Gilderoy eyed his talon appreciatively. "I must say that it feels good to be able to move so freely again. I feel a hundred years younger."

"Well, all that stuff makes you look cooler than the other side of the pillow," Rainbow said, crossing her hooves over her chest. "I mean, I dunno what it looked like before you got, uh, 'upgraded', but it's pretty rad. Oh! I'm Rainbow Dash, by the way. Second-Lieutenant of the Wonderbolts back home. And if this all works out, I guess that'll be your home eventually, right?"

He smiled and nodded. "So the story goes, yes." He turned to Applejack. "And you, Miss?"

"Applejack, howdy, nice ta meetcha," she said, taking his talon and giving it a shake while also tipping her hat. "I don't mean ta make it sound we're in a hurry 'n' all, but Twi said y'all got some sort o' spell that'll give us superpowers or somethin'? I didn't really understand everythin' she said, but that's the gist o' what I got."

"An oversimplification, but yes, that's essentially what I suggested to Her Highness. If I might offer an analogy to help understand the process, imagine that there is a young pony who seems to be talented with… say, the piano. You might say that he has the potential to become a professional pianist."

"Well, sir, I'd never say that about nopony, 'cause that sounds awful rude," Applejack said, amidst barely-stifled laughter from Rainbow and Pinkie.

Gilderoy seemed justifiably confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Like I said, I don't think it'd be right ta call no little colt somethin' like that just 'cause he likes the piano. Kinda rude, don'tcha think?"

Gilderoy blinked, then smiled and let out a laugh. "Aha! A play on word pronunciation. Quite an amusing joke, Miss Applejack, and much appreciated. Some lighthearted fun is necessary with all of the doom and gloom surrounding our lives at the moment."

He wiped a tear from his eye, or rather he didn't because he couldn't actually cry, but he made the motions anyway for the group's benefit. He was considerate like that, one of the reasons Fluttershy liked him despite how scary he looked at times with all that machinery.

Applejack leaned over to Rarity and Fluttershy. "What's he on about? What joke? I just think it's rude callin' a lil' colt a—"

"Applejack?" said Rarity, not meeting Applejack's eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I really thought better of you."

Applejack blinked. "What? Am I missin' somethin'?"

Gilderoy returned to his spiel. "Well, to continue the metaphor with perhaps a less amusing career, let us say that this young colt is talented with baking. You might say that he has a potential future career as a baker."

Pinkie let out a loud laugh and rolled onto the floor. "Ahaahaa! A baker! Ha! Ha…" She then got back on her hooves just as suddenly as she'd gotten off them. "Continue."

"Er… ahem. Well, if this young baking prodigy has the potential to become a baker, then should he grow up and hone his talents and become a world-famous baker, you would say that he realized his potential." Gilderoy drew out a long, slender, metal stick; Twilight had mentioned it before, and it did indeed remind Fluttershy of what was on Trixie's cutie mark. "I possess a spell that will… skip a few steps, hmm?"

"Ya mean like cheatin'?" asked Applejack, sounding very much like she didn't approve, which was just so her.

"Hmm… yes and no. Certainly it takes away the experience of developing these capabilities for yourselves, but that could potentially take months or even years to reach the same point that your comrades are at. I would never want to take such an enlightening journey away from you… but we do not have that kind of time."

"Yeah… I s'pose we don't…"

"So you just, what, swish and flick the heck out of your wand, chant some magic words, and boom, we're superheroes?" asked Rainbow.

Pinkie nodded in approval… and somehow, without anypony noticing, had suddenly dressed herself in a black robe with a red-and-gold scarf and a pair of glasses. She also somehow had a wand of her own. "Yeah! Wingardium Leviosa!" she shouted as she indeed swished and flicked the heck out her wand.

Nothing happened though. Fluttershy wasn't sure what she expected to happen, actually.

Pinkie glared at her wand, tapped it a few times on her hoof. "Hello? Is this thing on? Did I forget to change the batteries—" The wand tip exploded point-blank as she was looking down the length, leaving her face covered in black soot. "Hmm. Dang thing's busted."

Gilderoy blinked, tilting his head slightly, then shook his head and cleared his throat. "No, Miss Dash, there are no magic words involved, no incantations required. Not for this particular spell, at any rate. It is also quick and completely painless; I am merely tapping the wand into your inner energy and helping that energy flow throughout your body and soul."

"So it won't hurt?" asked Rainbow.

"Not at all."

"And this will allow us to do amazing feats like what our friends are capable of?" asked Rarity.

"Potentially, yes. There is no telling what your abilities may manifest as, but that is certainly the hope."

"An' you're sure it'll work?" asked Applejack.

"Absolutely," Gilderoy said with a smile, tugging his beard. "Not to brag, but I have hundreds of years of experience with more complicated spells than this by far, and I've utilized this spell many, many times. I believe there is an old zebra word that they might use to describe me: a 'wizard'. I think I'm more of a sage myself, but who am I to argue."

"Well, you certainly sound like an expert on the subject," Rarity said with a nod. "I see no reason why we shouldn't trust you to know what you're doing."

Applejack stepped forward. "Do me first. I figure if anythin' goes wrong or whatnot, it's best that it happens ta me. I trust that ya know what you're doin', Mister Gilderoy, but y'know, Twilight says the same kinda stuff 'bout her spells sometimes, as I'm sure you're aware. No offense, ta either of ya."

Gilderoy smiled. "Well, your caution is certainly appreciated. Once you see the results of my work, though, hopefully that caution will be replaced with confidence, hmm? This will only take a second."

He drew the wand up above Applejack's forehead, then tapped it just once. The wand glowed white for an instant, then a shiny bronze, and when he drew it away the air was filled with the faintest sounds of rumbling earth.

Gilderoy hummed as he looked at the wand in his talon, then nodded as if some mystery had been answered for him, which really wasn't far off at all actually. "Miss Applejack, the magical energy inside you is related to a school known as Geomancy. It is considered a rather common school of magic for earth ponies to specialize in, but your control is—"

"Wait wait wait, hol' on now, earth ponies don't got no magic," Applejack interjected. "I mean, sure, okay, y'all say I do 'cause o' whatever that there spell is an' 'cause o' the fancy things Twilight tol' us about, but that's just me, right?"

"On the contrary. Every pony in existence has a magical potential inside of them. Naturally these magical abilities are typically related to whatever talent their Cutie Mark represents, but it's still a form of magic at a very basic, miniscule level.

"An earth pony that specializes in farming, for example, often has a small scrap of Geomancy magic within them, which they of course tap into when they are performing their farming tasks. Geomancy is a school of magic related to manipulating the earth, you see. Another pony who has a talent for… well, let's use that piano again. Musical talent relates to Audiomancy; sound magic."

Applejack tilted her head, then glanced at her hooves. "So, you're sayin' that ma superpower is… what, makin' grass grow or somethin'? That don't seem too, uh… useful. I guess, what, I could help feed a bunch o' soldiers?"

"Well, that might be your special talent, but I don't know that for certain," Gilderoy chuckled. "But that isn't your 'superpower'. Your innate enhanced ability is a fundamentally-deep connection with natural, earth-related materials. Not just dirt and soil, but also stone, sand, and yes, even metal.

"The metal, of course, is a more complicated point, as the metal would need to be in its natural state, unmarred by craftwork, smelting, etcetera. The same would apply to gemstones such as rubies or diamonds: once cut, your connection is lost. It's rather finicky, because they can have such changes applied through a natural process."

Applejack removed her hat and scratched her head. "So, uh… what, I can control these things or somethin'?"

"Yes, and more than that, your body can adapt and adopt their qualities." Gilderoy tapped his chin for a moment, then raised a talon. "Ah! Perhaps a demonstration would assist you. One moment."

He walked over to the desk that had been provided to him, whereupon he searched through one of the drawers until he fished out a small ruby, which he brought over to the group. It was more than just small, it was tiny, no larger than a watermelon seed.

"Fortunately, Her Majesty Queen Blackburn has been providing me with materials to do my own technomagic work down here," he said. "I required an uncut ruby onto which I needed to make some microscopic inscriptions, but I hadn't yet gotten around to it in all the excitement. Thus, it is still unmodified, uncut, untouched; a virgin ruby, so to say."

"Pfft, virgin ruby," Rainbow chortled, nudging Pinkie in the ribs. "AJ's gonna pop the ruby's cherry."

"Rainbow, really?" Rarity huffed, eyes narrowed in disbelief. "You've been spending too much time around Havoc."

Gilderoy set the ruby onto Applejack's hoof. "Now, my dear Miss Applejack, take this ruby in your hoof and concentrate. Focus all of your energy on it. You will hear it call to you, just as you surely hear the call of the soil when you tend to it, not in your ears but in your soul. When you hear that call… let it wash over you."

Applejack blinked, looking at the ruby, then shrugged, closed her eyes, and focused. Fluttershy wasn't even sure what to expect to happen, but as she watched Applejack look like she was straining, she started to worry that maybe Applejack had been right all along, and that nothing was going to—

Then, she and the other mares all let out a collective gasp.

"What?" Applejack asked, her voice slightly tinny. She opened her eyes wide. "The hay's wrong wit' my voice?"

"Look at yourself, darling!" Rarity cooed, her eyes alight with wonder. "You look simply gorgeous!"

Applejack raised her hoof up to look at herself, and could now see what they all could. "Golly, what the hay?"

Her skin and coat, her mane and tail, even her hooves, were all made out of ruby. The only things unaffected by the change were her clothes, from her shirt to her hat, even the bands in her mane and tail to keep them orderly. She otherwise could be mistaken for a very elaborately-cut pony-size ruby, like a work of art, really, or like the crystal ponies back home only more… solid?

"This is weird…" Applejack muttered, turning her hoof around. In the process, she dropped the ruby; as soon as it left her hoof, everything quickly-but-gradually turned back to normal. "Huh? What happened?"

"You must remain in contact with whatever material it is that you are adopting the qualities of, of course," Gilderoy explained as he picked the ruby back up. "Much as you must physically tend to the soil that you would use to grow crops, by hoof, up-close. It's not much more complicated than that, though this is of course an oversimplification. You may yet discover more things you can do with this magic."

Applejack smirked and fanned herself with her hat. "Well ain't that a fine kettle o' corn. If'n I could turn myself inta things like rock or whatnot, that'd make me one hard sucker ta crack. Not bad, no sirree."

"Ooh, do me next!" Pinkie blurted, practically shoving Applejack out of the way with her… all of her. "Do me! Do me! Please! I gotta knooowww!"

Gilderoy chuckled and drew his wand out once again. "Ah, if only I still had that sort of rambunctious energy even in my own youth."

He tapped his wand to Pinkie's forehead, whereupon it first glowed white, then shined with all the colors of the rainbow. He drew it away in surprise, and chuckled as he waved the wand about in the air. It gave off a sound like a kazoo whenever it moved.

"My my my, this is certainly a surprise," he said, attempting to make a legitimate melody with the kazoo sounds until they wore off. "Miss Pie, I don't think you actually even needed my assistance here to unlock the potential of your Verisimulation. As far I can tell, you're not only aware of your 'superpower', but you make use of it all the time. Frequently, in fact."

Pinkie's eyes widened. "Ohhhh, so that's what it's called."

"Wait, Pinkie, you already knew you had superpowers?" Rainbow asked, dumbfounded. "And you've been using them? And you never told us about them?"

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Dashie Dashie Dashie," she said, throwing her hoof around Dash's shoulder. "Honey, sweetheart, baby doll. I've been telling you guys about the kind of amazing stuff I can do for two-and-a-half books now, plus an entire alternate timeline where this scene took place, like, way sooner. Nopony ever believes me."

Rainbow looked at the rest of the group for clarification; Fluttershy, at least, had no idea what Pinkie was talking about, and shrugged just like Rarity and Applejack did.

"Let me put it this way, Dashie," Pinkie said… somehow all of a sudden wearing a lab coat and goggles. "Just let me do my thing, but don't ask questions. Don't ask questions! The key to making me work is the mystery of it all. The fun factor. As long as everypony's having fun, why should it matter how it works? I even wrote a song!"

"When did you have time to write a song?!"

"♫If you're wondering how she does that stuff,

And other science facts

(La la la)

Just tell yourself 'it's just a fic,

I should really just relaaaax'.♫"

As Pinkie finished her… song, Dash scratched her head. "Huh. I mean, I want to be miffed about this, but I know you Pinks, and I know that whatever it is you're up to, it's usually best not to ask questions, 'cause you know what you're doing. I mean, I've seen you pull your party cannon out of your mane before, and we all know that there's no way that fits."

"Heh… that's what she said," Pinkie said, waggling her eyebrows and looking at… why was she looking at Applejack?

Dash snorted laughter out her nose, then patted Pinkie's back and turned to Gilderoy. "Me next! What sort of awesome powers do I have, old dude?"

Gilderoy tapped his wand on her head, and it glowed white at first before it glowed a bright neon blue, accompanied by the sound of distant thunder. "Aha, Meteomancy. I daresay that fits right in alongside Miss Applejack's Geomancy: a common magic associated with pegasi in this case, albeit amplified to magnificent levels."

Rainbow blinked. "What the hay is 'Meteomancy'? Is that like something to do with meteors?"

Pinkie nodded sagely. "You read my mind, Dashie. I was gonna suggest the same thing. And that's a total endgame spell, y'know." A pause, then she looked off to the side at… nothing in particular? "Or would it be more of an infinity war spell nowadays? I mean, that was a moon—"

"Does anypony have any idea what the heck she's talking about? Or who she's talking to?" Rainbow asked the others.

Again, shrugs and blank stares. As usual.

Gilderoy cleared his throat. "Meteomancy is the school of magic related to the weather, Miss Dash."

"Oh." Rainbow scratched her chin. "Well, I mean, I don't work for the weather team anymore, but I was the best at it when I did. That was like… my thing. First thing I did when I met Twi was prove to her that I could clear the sky in ten seconds flat." With a cocky smile, she added, "Yeah, no sweat there. Piece of cake."

"Then you are already aware of what you're capable of, to a degree," Gilderoy said with a sagely nod of his own. "Your mastery over the weather extends beyond just knowledge, of course. Your body has the capability to quite literally create and manipulate it, which is tied intimately with the manner in which you fly, including speed, direction, and other factors."

Rainbow steepled her hooves over her mouth. "So, you're saying that if I flew really fast in a circle, that I could make a tornado all by myself? 'Cause that usually takes a whole team of pegasi to do." With a look towards Fluttershy, she added, "Right, Shy?"

"If you're focused on doing so with all of your heart and soul, yes."

Rainbow nodded in understanding, oddly calm. "Awesome…"

Rarity tilted her head. "I was expecting more of a reaction than that, Rainbow. This is rather, well, subdued for you." Fluttershy was glad that Rarity had said it so that she didn't have to.

"Oh no, I'm totally psyched right now Rares. It is literally taking everything I have not to jump up and try it out right here and now, you have no idea. If I don't restrain myself—"

"Oh no, you are not messing up my mane with one of your little tornadoes," Rarity scoffed. "Wait until you get outside."

"That was the plan, actually. I'm gonna grab Havoc, and we're gonna go outside the city, and I'm gonna practice this. And when I show her, she's gonna freak, and it's gonna be awesome. So awesome…"

Rarity snickered. "Well, that sounds a bit more like you." She turned to Gilderoy. "Well then, how about me? While I certainly hope I don't have something quite so… involved as Rainbow and Applejack—I'd prefer to be on the backlines—I do still want to help in any capacity that I can. There are ponies in this world that I hold very close to my heart; I will do anything to save them."

"Well spoken, my dear Miss Rarity." Gilderoy tapped his wand to the tip of her horn, whereupon it flashed white and stayed white, emitting a faint tinkling sound like a wind chime. "Aha, now that's interesting. I do believe that had I known about your abilities, I would have performed this spell on you first and then had you demonstrate upon your friends."

"Hmm? What does that mean?" Rarity asked, tilting her head.

"Your enhanced ability is directly related to a very common, fundamental magic school known as Benefaction. All unicorns are aware of this school of magic, or at least its most basic use, though most don't even think about how important it is because of how simple it is.

"Benefaction is the art of magical transfer, that is, using one's magic to enhance the magic of others. My wand is utilizing a modified version of this most basic of spells so that I might be able to understand and explain your abilities to you. With this ability, you would not only be able to help your friends unlock their abilities, but also to do so with others."

Rarity tilted her head the other way. "You mean I could… give other ponies superpowers as well?"

He chuckled. "No no, what I mean is… well, remember that I said that all ponies, even earth ponies and pegasi, possess an innate magic deep within their souls? One that is tied to their special talents, their cutie marks?"

"Ah… I think I understand. I can enhance the special talents of other ponies then? That seems rather useful."

"Indeed. Take Miss Gadget, for instance, whose talent is engineering wondrous feats of technomagic. Were you to enhance her talent for a time, I daresay she'd be able to invent something capable of truly tremendous feats." He tapped his chin. "Hmm… perhaps something even us gryphons thought impossible, like space travel. The sky is literally the limit, hmm hmm hmm."

Rarity blinked. "Oh my, this sounds like a truly incredible ability." She turned to look at Fluttershy, then shifted her eyes back to Gilderoy. "Shall I perhaps help Fluttershy 'unlock' her special powers?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "Oh, you don't have to do that, Rarity. To be honest, I wasn't planning on having anything, um… 'unlocked'. I'm here for moral support, really. I know that even if I had something that was truly amazing, I wouldn't be able to stomach the thought of… of being in the thick of things."

"Oh, darling… are you sure?"

"I am," Fluttershy said with a nod. "I'm fine staying in the back to make sure nopony gets hurt, and to take of the ponies who do."

"Well, what if your 'superpower' is to heal others who do get hurt?"

"Oh… well, I never thought of that before," Fluttershy muttered.

She truly hadn't considered that idea at all, she had no idea what to make of these "superpower" things. To her, they just sounded like extensions of their special talents, or even their connection to the old Elements of Harmony, at least if one really squinted at the concepts. Rarity's Element connection was easy—Generosity meant giving power to others—but Rainbow's was hard—Loyalty was… controlling the weather?

Even special talents didn't perfectly fit. Sure, Rarity's was, again, rather easy: her talent was finding gems, so her superpower was "finding" potential in others. Right? But then, Applejack's talent was farming and apples, so what did that have to do with turning herself into rocks and gems? It was all so confusing, like the powers were just something that just fit. Again, like a comic book.

Oh goodness, she hoped that she didn't get something like she did when they all ventured into Spike's comic book. She didn't want to think of herself turning into some sort of hulking monster in order to help. But if that's what she had to do—

"If you're uncertain about what your ability might be, then perhaps it would be best to let me make use of my spell," Gilderoy said, drawing his wand out again and also drawing Fluttershy out of her panicked train of thought.

Fluttershy took a calming breath, then nodded. "Okay."

He tapped his wand to her head, whereupon it glowed white at first and then a light green. When he swished it through the air, it roared like a lion, and rather loudly at that.

"Aha, you have a connection with Zoolomancy, the school of magic related to animals, be it tending to them, commanding them, even understanding them at some fundamental level." He paused, then frowned. "Ah… well, that is rather unfortunate, isn't it? I would hesitate to ever say that there isn't a potential use for something—"

"No, I understand," Fluttershy sighed. "My power is useless. There aren't any animals up here in the north, except for those Gargantuans. And… and from what I hear, they're all gone now too, thanks to whatever it is that's causing your world to die. Only Twilight's new friend Aculeata is left, and she's not exactly an animal any more. Twilight says that she's intelligent."

"Truly? Well now, that's certainly a remarkable development." Gilderoy stroked his beard and shook his head. "A shame that we are not in Aeropolis, and that I cannot simply leave and return to and from my Sanctuary easily. I was in possession of an artefact, a contraption if you will, that might have been of some use."

"It's alright. I'm fine with trying my best elsewhere. Maybe if we go down south and we need help from the animals or something I might be able to help, but I doubt that…"

Rarity put her hoof around Fluttershy's shoulder. "Oh, darling, I'm sure that we'll find some way for you to be more than just some glorified nurse or foalsitter. Just you wait, I'm certain that we'll need you for something important soon that only Fluttershy, the Mistress of the Animal Kingdom, can solve!"

"The… Mistress of the Animal Kingdom?"

"It's a working title, dear, don't judge me."

Fluttershy giggled and nodded. "Thanks, Rarity. For trying to make me feel better. But it's okay, even if there's nothing that my special talent can help with, I'll try my best to help in every way that I can. I promise."

Chapter Fifteen: Ready

Blackburn typically preferred a light breakfast when she started off her day, and today was no exception. A cereal bar made right here in Hope's Point was perfect for an on-the-go mare like herself, somepony who was always moving and never stopping unless it was for something important or truly shocking. A cup of coffee always went along with it, in this case a blend that Lockwood had picked out from Seaside in the south.

She walked the halls of the palace eyeing a datapad that she held with one wing, sipping from her coffee that Gadget held in her magic—Gadget always knew just when to tip the cup so that Blackburn didn't have the slurp—and racing her mind through all of the information coming her way.

It was business as usual in Hope's Point, as she and Lockwood had decided not to inform the general populace about the recent news until they had a solution in mind. As such, Blackburn treated everything as business as usual even if the back of her mind was screaming out how everypony was going to die if they couldn't find what they needed. But she ignored that pitiful mammalian part of her brain that just couldn't help itself. No, it was business as usual, and that was it.

With the sandstorm gone, they could begin shipping with New Pandemonium again. The sheer number of request orders required an entire datapad for themselves; Hope's Point was expected to ship literal tons of food, medical supplies, and more, but most importantly alcohol, to make up for the economic downturn following their lockdown. Nothing out of the ordinary, of course, but Blackburn insisted on scanning the entire shipping order herself to make certain that nothing fishy was happening.

Then there was the immigration manifest, as a three-week delay in travel had caused a backlog of sorts of all the ponies who wished to make the trip into Hope's Point from New Pandemonium. Again, it was a large list, and Stellar Storm would be going over her own copy even more thoroughly; Blackburn wasn't concerned about a security risk, but with the numbers. They could all be accommodated, but then she knew that it wouldn't really make a difference soon, one way or another.

Gadget interrupted her train of thought. "Your Majesty, I'm getting a call from the hangar bay. The Comet Chaser just docked and is requesting your presence to make their report personally."

Blackburn nodded; this was excellent news but she never jumped for joy when that sort of thing came her way. "Means they found something important. Good. Come, wasting time here."

"Right behind you, boss."

The hangar bay of Hope's Point wasn't actually in the city, strictly-speaking. It was situated at the very bottom of the cliff upon which the city was built, accessible from the city only by elevator, of which there were four, one being in the royal palace itself. Blackburn and Gadget rode down the elevator down, down, down, past floors dedicated to maintenance, floors that were designed to house power junctions, and supply rooms for emergencies.

Most of these were also accessible by an emergency stairwell, but nopony ever used it; the city had never experienced a power outage in over forty years.

At the very bottom floor, the pair exited out into the hangar bay, a tremendous hallway that stretched out farther than Blackburn could see in either direction. The hall was lined with bay doors that opened into the individual docking bays of each and every ship in the fleet, all of which were uniquely designed for a purpose and to accommodate their captains' tastes and appeal.

One such bay belonged to Blackburn's personal airship, the Wyvern; the bay was locked tight at the moment until Blackburn was ready to take her airship out for a spin again, but she knew she needed to perform some maintenance first to make sure all of the repairs had taken properly. The ship was her pride and joy; before she had Bluebolt, the Wyvern was the closest thing Blackburn had to a daughter, and she still tended to baby it every now and then. Seeing her get hurt— damaged, well, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

As she walked down the hall, she stopped at one particular hangar, one belonging to the Thunder. She always tended to pause briefly around this one when she was down here nowadays. The bay was left permanently open, and the Thunder itself had been ordered to stay under constant upkeep so that it was in the most pristine condition possible. It looked nicer now than it had looked two months ago.

This was the typical procedure for retiring a ship, but for the Thunder, the late Captain Briarthorn's ship, well… it wasn't treated any differently, but it certainly drew her attention. The fleet hadn't retired any ships because of a death before, because a death usually meant that the ship had been destroyed too.

She didn't linger long, though. She couldn't. She needed to focus, and memories of fallen friends didn't do much to help her in that regard.

The Comet Chaser's dock was farther along the hangar hall, and the bay doors were currently open; the ship had finished its docking procedures by now, naturally. The airship itself was no longer really an airship, as the modifications made to its design to accommodate its new role in the fleet as a deep sea vessel would make it clunky to fly. An unusual consideration if it were a pony: a pegasus that could swim better than fly.

The three-pony crew were all present and accounted for:

The ship's ensign was the first one to attract attention because the mare was clearly still getting used to the newer procedures. Blackburn thought for a moment to recall her name… Starlight Spark? She was a pegasus pony with a white coat and a lavender mane with a silver streak. She wore a typical ensign uniform: a simple jacket in the crew's colors, black and light blue.

She was in the process of restocking the ship's supplies, meaning the crew's food and water mostly, but also the ships' fuel. She wasn't particularly efficient by Blackburn's standards—who was compared to Gadget?—but if the ship's captain kept her around she clearly got her jobs done at a satisfactory rate.

The ship's engineer was also a pegasus, Copper Blaze, which was unusual as most engineers were unicorns, occasionally earth ponies. Her coat was pale yellow, her mane long and bright green with lime green streaks She was wearing similar coveralls to Gadget, but had spruced hers up with "graffiti" to make it stand out. She was currently tending to some repair work on the ship's hull; had it been damaged? A slightly troubling thought.

Last was the ship's captain, Ember Heart, a pegasus mare—all ships captains had to be pegasi in order to operate their ships—with an amber coat and a two-tone red and orange mane. She wore a flight jacket over her flight suit; the jacket was navy blue, while the flight suit was in the crew's colors. As the most "normal" of the crew this made her ironically the least stand-out compared to most captains.

Captain Ember noticed Blackburn and Gadget enter the hangar, and immediately turned and snapped to attention with a salute. "Your Majesty! Good to see you. That sure was fast."

"At ease, Captain," Blackburn replied, her eyes mostly on the Comet Chaser at the moment. "Heard you have a report. Deliver it."

"Yes, ma'am." Ember pulled out a datapad and tapped through it a few times. "We went out a bit further than the original guidelines suggested. I figured that if these minotaurs had their whole civilization sunk but nopony had ever seen evidence of it, it had to be deep, deep down there."

"Logical deduction. Heard you were nearly at the Belt?"

The "Belt" was the Belt of Tranquility, the ironically-named equatorial storm that divided the world into its northern and southern halves, right where the Dark energies of the northern Beacon met with the Light energies of the south. The two antithetical magical forces did not react well when mixed together, apparently, creating an impassable barrier that nopony had traversed in hundreds of years, until Hope's Point developed shielding technology that could survive it.

Nopony knew what it looked like underwater, though. Nopony except the crew of the Comet Chaser.

Ember nodded. "Yeah, our last trip out took us right up against the edge. Even underwater, that thing looks dangerous, y'know?" She then shook her head and gave off a proud grin. "But my crew's the best in the fleet at what we do, ma'am. We knew that if none of the other crews had found anything yet, then these ruins just had to be within the Belt itself.

"So after our last refuel, we made a beeline right for the Belt edge and poked our way in. The dang thing put a lot of strain on the stabilization systems and the new shields got one heckuva workout, but we pulled through and started our search." She showed the datapad off to Blackburn now, pointing at the image on the screen. "After two days of looking, we found this."

Blackburn glanced at the image, a picture taken by the Comet Chaser's external cameras. It looked like the remains of a stone building, torn apart and ruined by some unknown force. It was barely poking out of the sandy ocean floor, easy to miss if not for the searchlight aimed directly at it. On its own this would already be an interesting discovery, but what made it even more interesting was the iconography.

Nopony knew what a minotaur even was except for Pandemonia, and she'd helpfully described what they'd looked like: bipedal creatures whose bottom halves resembled a bull's, complete with cloven hooves and a long tail, but whose top halves were smooth and hairless, with forelimbs that ended in four-fingered hands. Its head was still that of a bull's, including the horns. They were apparently huge even compared to the tallest of ponies, but how huge, not even Pandemonia could say accurately.

This ruined structure had imagery that resembled the description perfectly, albeit in less detail.

"This is it," Blackburn said, pushing the datapad back to Ember brusquely in her excitement. "You've found Athenos, Captain. Commendations in order."

Ember's eyes widened, and she smiled and nodded excitedly. "That's wonderful news! Thank you, Your Majesty." She then offered the data pad again. "Now, we explored a little further and found other evidence, if you want to—"

"No, don't need to see it, irrelevant at present. More important: forming an expedition team. Found any entrances into the city? Any intact structures?"

"We didn't search too deep," Ember said, scratching her cheek. "The Belt doesn't make it easy to take your time down there. If we're making another incursion though, we at least know where to start searching, so we'll have more time to find whatever we're looking for. I already put in a requisition for a secondary shield generator. Blaze thinks it should give us some extra rotations."

"Good forethought. And yes, will be going back out there, Captain." Blackburn turned to Gadget. "Contact Winter Glow and Princess Twilight. Need to form their expedition team."

"Already done, boss," Gadget said with a smirk. "They'll be waiting for us upstairs when we're done here."

Blackburn nodded, then turned back to Ember. "Captain, continue with ship preparation. Take time to rest, refuel ship, refuel self and crew. All facilities and services needed will be compensated. The Comet Chaser sets out tonight for Athenos, will be taking an expedition team. Be ready after… standard dinnertime hours."

Ember saluted. "Will do, ma'am! Sparky's already got most of the ship refueling procedures taken care of, but the crew's gonna be glad to hear we've got full run of everything we need to refuel ourselves. Let's see… naps, showers, and food? Yeah. I'll make sure that they know."

A pause, and she scuffed her hoof on the floor, face a little red. "Uh, the full accommodations. Does that include—"

"Includes all facilities and services, Captain. All expenses paid by royal treasury, regardless of context." Blackburn tilted her head and smirked. "Yes, also includes… more personal needs. Would recommend… hmm, Eggplant Lounge. Has excellent reviews. Right, Gadget?"

Gadget nodded and set her hoof on Ember's shoulder. "When you get there, ask for Marble Tower. He's the owner. Good guy, knows his staff well, and he's just this big ol' teddy bear. He'll set you up with the right… package, whatever floats your boat. Trust me. I make use of the place every Spring."

Ember gulped and nodded. "R-right, yeah, sounds good. I'm getting hit a little early this year, and—" She then shook her head, then saluted to Blackburn again. "Your Majesty! We won't let you down!"

"Glad to hear it, Captain." Blackburn gestured for Gadget to follow, then made her way back towards the elevator.

From there, she and Gadget then headed for the meeting room that Gadget had arranged for everypony to meet in, where she was greeted by pretty much everypony she expected to see, and a couple who she didn't.

Winter Glow and Hourglass made sense; they were the experts—Winter was, at least—on what sort of information was needed to answer the questions about Pandemonia. Twilight Sparkle was a bookish sort and somepony with extraordinary magical power, so she would likely be useful in actually obtaining that information.

Sunspire's presence was unexpected, but only slightly. He had the same sort of academic interests that Twilight did, and his ability to observe magical energy might come in handy. So she didn't really question his presence; she was just surprised that somepony so young was volunteering to go.

She had no idea why Rainbow Dash was here, though. The other mare was an athletic sort with no interest in academics, at least according to tidbits she'd heard from Rarity over the past few weeks, and a simple background check into her history in this world did nothing to change that opinion. This task didn't seem to be something a pony like that would have an interest in.

Blackburn had come to terms with Rainbow's appearance a long time ago after studying her old profile. That seemed an odd thing to say, but it wasn't something that she mentioned to anypony else. Nopony would have even asked if she didn't mention it, so she kept it that way.

Gadget and Crossfire might have noticed it, but nopony else would have, even Lockwood: Rainbow Dash was the spitting image of Blackburn's mother, Blue Blitz. Their mane colors were drastically different, and Rainbow was younger now than Blitz had been when Blackburn was born. They even had a similar love for flying and style.

"Everypony punctual, good," Blackburn said as she and Gadget entered and Blackburn took her seat. "Gadget already informed you: crew of deep sea vessel Comet Chaser discovered evidence of Athenos. Crew is refueling selves and ship, will be prepared for departure tonight, after dinnertime. This is your expedition team?"

Winter nodded. "Yup. Hourglass and I know—"

"Don't need an explanation for you two or Twilight," Blackburn interjected. Her gaze shifted to Sunspire. "Still surprised at Sunspire's presence. Already went on one 'expedition', ruins of Aeropolis. However, gryphon ruins already documented, known qualities, could account for variables easily. Athenos unknown, potentially dangerous."

"I had the same thought myself, Your Majesty," said Twilight, setting her hoof on Sunspire's shoulder. "I'm not particularly fond of bringing along somepony so young on a potentially dangerous adventure. But he insisted."

Sunspire made to speak, but Blackburn was quicker: "His magic-detecting abilities would be useful, yes, understand that. Played role in discovering Pandemonia originally, perfectly logical consideration that he would be helpful with discovering additional information about her."

"And we can vouch for him being capable!" Hourglass interjected, setting her hooves on the table. "Sunsy knows what he's doing."

"I've instructed him to stay by my side at all times," added Twilight. "Whatever happens down there, I'll be sure to keep him safe."

Blackburn nodded, glad to see that Twilight Sparkle was everything that Golden Dawn wasn't. Their intellects were their only similarities as far as Blackburn was concerned. Twilight seemed to be a respectable mare with good morals, a sense of responsibility, an understanding of others, and an unwillingness to compromise herself to accomplish a goal. An upstanding leader; Blackburn looked forward to further interactions once their worlds were merged together.

She then turned to Rainbow Dash, eyes narrowed. "You, though… purpose uncertain. No offense meant, just curious: why are you here?"

Rainbow spread her wings proudly. "'Cause I figured if my pal Twilight was going on an archaeological adventure, then there was nopony else better than me to come with her."

Blackburn tilted her head. "Was unaware of any archaeological expertise."

"Oh, Rainbow doesn't have any academic experience in the subject whatsoever," Twilight said with a cheeky grin. "What she does have is 'Daring Do' experience."

Rainbow looked even prouder than ever. "Yup! I own signed collector's editions of every single Daring Do book ever written. You know I'm even in one of the books? Yup yup, I got to meet the real Daring Do and everything. You could say I'm a… scholar. On Daring Do."

"And… that helps how?" Blackburn muttered, genuinely at a loss. This was a rare sensation.

"Psh, it helps because Daring Do's our world's leading adventure archaeologist. I've 'studied' every single book she's ever released, even experienced first-hoof what her adventures are like. Nopony knows about exploring mysterious old ruins of some ancient civilization better than me."

Winter sighed. "For the record, I don't agree with this sh— stuff."

"Oh yeah? What're you gonna do when we come to some trapped hallway with deadly buzzsaws and dart launchers, huh? What're you gonna do when you have to take out the magical eyes of the big minotaur statue so that the room doesn't flood with molten lava? What're you gonna do when the hidden temple starts falling apart because you stepped on the wrong tile?"

"You're assumin' that the minotaurs set traps around their city to protect it from intruders looking to plunder its riches… while they still lived there?"

Dash nodded, looking as smug as a snake. "Heck yeah. That's like rule number one about adventure archaeology: always assume the ancient civilization you're investigating set traps to protect their hidden treasures."

"Even if it makes no sense?"

"Especially if it makes no sense. That's how they getcha."

Blackburn sighed and shook her head. "Discussion irrelevant. If Rainbow wants to go, and if the group allows it, not my decision. Trust your judgment." She rose from her seat. "Discussion concluded, I think. Meet at hangar bay elevator tonight, after dinnertime. Will introduce you to Comet Chaser crew. Any questions?"

"I think we've got it pretty well handled, yeah," Winter said, rolling her eyes as Rainbow stuck out her tongue at her.

"Good. Take care of business needed before leaving; trip will take days. At least one to reach site, same to return, unknown time needed to investigate. Comet Chaser equipped to handle a week-long expedition, hopefully will not take that long." With a nod, she concluded with, "See you all tonight."

*****

Rainbow was pumped, psyched, stoked, fired up, and just plain rarin' to go, as Applejack might put it. She hadn't been outside the bubble shield of Hope's Point yet; in fact, she hadn't been out in the Wastelands at all since she and her friends first arrived in this world, apart from a few brief moments when Dawn teleported them here a few days ago. That didn't count.

The bubble was kind of cool, actually. She remembered when Shining Armor made a magical bubble to protect Canterlot way back when, and this was pretty much the same thing. Just, y'know, golden instead of bubblegum pink. Seeing the city from up here was cool, too; it looked kind of like Manehattan, just with not quite as many tall buildings.

But there was no other place better to practice her new superpowers than out in the middle of nowhere where nopony could get hurt. Well, technically it wasn't the "middle of nowhere" since they were only a quarter-mile outside the barrier, but since there was nothing out here but air and earth, it might as well have been the same thing. They could be this close to the city without any problems; the barrier could take any accidental discharges that might occur.

Rainbow had donned her Wonderbolts flight suit, of course, because this seemed like an appropriate time to wear it. Havoc was dressed much more casually in just a black jacket that her new wife had made her.

"So, that old bird dude really gave you and your pals superpowers?" asked Havoc, hooves crossed over her chest in disbelief; they were hovering a few hundred feet over the arid ground below. "And that's why you dragged me out here? To practice with 'em?"

"Yup!" Rainbow said with a wide grin. "I figured that you knew how to use yours well enough that you could teach me how to use mine. I mean, they're not the same types of powers or whatever, but there's gotta be some… I dunno, technique to it?"

Havoc tilted her head. "'Technique'?"

"Yeah, technique. Like a skyball maneuver, or a flight maneuver. Any pegasus can fly, some better than others, but there's a technique to performing the other stuff." Rainbow put her hooves on her hips. "There's a big difference between a barrel roll and an aileron roll, y'know, and there's a technique to each of them."

"Dash, there's a biiig difference between throwing a fireball and… what was your power again?"

"Weather control!"

"A big difference between throwing a fireball and making a cloud or whatever." Havoc demonstrated by igniting her hoof and tossing the fire out into the air; it exploded dozens of feet away. "See? I just did that with my hoof. Unless you can, like, shoot a fuckin' tornado outta yours, it ain't the same thing."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I know that, sheesh. What do you think I am, some sort of moron?" Before Havoc could respond, Rainbow added, "Don't answer that. What I mean is, when you make those fireballs, you just… do it. There's gotta be something that you do to make that happen."

Havoc tilted her head. "Like what?"

"I dunno. Do you have some sort of… chakra or something? Like, do you have a thing you do in your head or something that you focus on? Ooh, like how a martial artist has like this inner ki, and they let it all out with a kiai. Hiyaa!" Rainbow emphasized her point with a dramatic karate chop.

"Ohhh. I mean, yeah, I do. But I don't think it'll work the same for you."

"Just lay it on me, let me make that decision."

Havoc shrugged. "Alright. It's like this: I just get mad."

"You 'get mad'?"

"Yeah. I mean, I don't really need to do it for the little stuff like this." Havoc ignited her hoof and waved the fire about like her hoof was a lighter at a really good rock concert. "This shit's easy. I just… I just do that. At least nowadays I do. I used to have to think about it, but now it's just, like… subconscious or some shit. I dunno, I'm not a psychiatrist."

Rainbow crossed her hooves. "Okay. So the little stuff is easy for you now, I get that. I mean, it makes sense; the better you are at something, the more you can do it without thinking about it. Same like with the Sonic Rainboom. I used to have to really focus on doing it, now I just… do it. Y'know they book me for weddings and stuff back home? Used to pay the bills before making the Wonderbolts."

"I still haven't had much of a chance to practice my Sonic Flare," Havoc admitted, letting her shoulders slump a little; the name was fitting, Rainbow had approved of it. Like a solar flare, but different. Rad. "I mean, when have we had the chance to?"

"You could practice it now, y'know."

"Naw, not really. Like I said, my fire, my real fire, is one hundred percent anger. That, I know for sure. I remember that when I did it the first time, it was because I was pissed. Like, angry beyond rational thought. All I could think about was hate, pain, rage. That's what fuels my fire, Dash, even the little stuff."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "What, like you're angry all the time or something?"

"That's my secret, Dash. It's just about knowing when to release it and how." Havoc stared off into the distance and launched another fireball. "Nowadays, most of my anger comes from Dawn." Another fireball. "About how she treats me like shit." Another. "About how she treats our family like shit." Another. "About how much of a selfish bitch she is!" A big fireball.

"Okay, I think I get it. It's an emotional thing. So if your thing is anger, what's mine?"

Havoc snorted. "How the fuck should I know? I mean, you're on the right track, 'cause I know Gray and Velvet are the same. Y'know, emotion-driven powers?"

"How so?"

"Velvet's powers work best when she's… well, not angry, just emotional in general. To be honest, I think she gets off on fear or something, 'cause the way I heard it, she was a fuckin' killing machine when those fuckwads tried to kill her, but she wasn't angry or nothin'. She was scared. Scared about what they would do to Caramel and Marée."

"And Gray?"

"At her best when she's unemotional. Just calm, collected, and logical. She's scary when she gets that laser focus goin', I tell ya." Havoc whistled, and made a crushing motion with her hooves. "I haven't gotten a chance to train with her a lot lately, but hey, I live here now, so maybe I'll get a shot. Or… maybe I won't. Depends on how this all goes, I guess."

Rainbow tapped her chin and considered Havoc's words, just not the morbid bits. "Okay, I kinda get it. Hmm. Twilight said that we had these powers or whatever because it was how our old Elements translated to your world's… uh, 'dynamics' or something. So, maybe my power is driven by the same thing?"

"Sure, maybe. What was that again? Loyalty or some shit?"

"Yup, that's me, the Element of Loyalty. So maybe I've gotta… focus on being a good, loyal friend?"

Havoc held up her hooves. "Don't take this the wrong way, Dash, but that sounds kinda gay."

Rainbow shoved Havoc and chuckled. "Bite me, dingus."

"What? It just sounds like some frou-frou bullshit. 'Oh, you can use your destructive tornado powers by thinking about friendship and gumdrops'. Blech." Havoc shook her head and pounded her hooves together. "Think of Loyalty in a metal way, Dash. Like… being a loyal protector! Like a soldier."

Rainbow tapped her chin. "Yeah… yeah! I'm military, I know what taking an oath is all about!"

"That's it! You're loyal to a cause! In this case, the cause is kicking the shit out of Nihila and anypony that supports her!"

"Yeah!"

"They wanna hurt you and your friends, maggot! Are you gonna let 'em do that?!"

"No way! Those punks are goin' down!"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow adjusted her goggles over her eyes. "Let's do this!"

She zipped off into a wide open area, then began flying in a wide circle at first, feeling the wind whipping through her mane and pressing against her suit. The faster she flew, the harsher the winds were, but that was just to be expected.

As she tightened her circle, she concentrated on not just the angle of her turn but on her speed, the degree at which her body was tilted for maximum speed and minimum wind resistance.

All the while, she focused her heart on her friends. They were depending on her to put a stop to Nihila, to save the world. There was nothing cooler than that. She was utterly dedicated not just to them as individuals, but to the cause they were representing; this was bigger than her, bigger than them, bigger than everypony. And nothing was going to stop her from doing what needed to be done.

The winds were fiercer now, not just from the speed she was going but because there was definitely a forceful wind surrounding her. So she flew faster, flew tighter, focused harder, and the winds intensified. She could even feel sand particles impacting her suit and goggles; she was glad to be wearing them.

At last, she flew straight off out of her cyclical path. She removed her goggles and glanced behind her to see that a veritable whirlwind had formed in her wake, whipping up sand and dirt as it tumbled off behind her for a few moments, then gradually dissipated into nothing.

"That was dope!" Havoc shouted as she flew over. "Dude, you just made a fuckin' torando! High hoof!"

Dash met Havoc's hoof with her own, then put her other hoof over her mouth and hummed, deep in concentration. "Hmm. Definitely bigger than anything I've ever seen a single pegasus do before. Not as big as I was expecting, though."

"That's what practice is for," Havoc assured her. "When I was just starting out, I couldn't make a fireball big enough to blow up a building. I can now—not that I would—and that's just 'cause I train all the time. Gotta keep my body and mind in shape and my skills and powers honed, 'cause you never know what you're gonna deal with."

"Yeah, makes sense. I'll just keep at it. How long we got 'til dinnertime?"

Havoc glanced at her watch. "Uh, about seven hours, assuming you're gonna actually eat dinner before you head off on your little undersea adventure."

"Alright, then I've got time to get some more practice in before I leave. I gotta try out a few things here and there, y'know, not even just tornadoes."

Havoc tilted her head. "Like what? Lightning or something? Rain?"

"Yeah, all of it. All of the weather: lightning, rain, tornadoes, hurricanes, snowstorms, all of it. Just watch, buddy." Rainbow replaced her goggles over her eyes. "I'm gonna be a one-mare weather machine."

*****

Applejack followed Flathoof to Hope's Point's Militia Headquarters, a large building near the royal palace that held the barracks for… not all of the militia ponies, but a fair number of them. There was essentially room and board available here for anypony that signed up for military service, and a fair amount of them chose to stay here with their brothers and sisters in arms. It was cheaper than buying their own place, and it certainly wasn't uncomfortable.

At least that was how Flathoof described it; he wasn't absolutely sure, having never used the facility as a home the entire time he'd been living in the city. Just a benefit of having his sister-in-law be the queen, and now his wife was an ambassador who lived at this big embassy building. Quite a step up from his old life.

"So, when're y'all plannin' on tellin' yer folks 'n' such about all the, uh… new developments?" she asked as they entered the building. "No matter how ya look at it, this here's gonna turn their lives upside-down."

"Eyyup, I know," he replied with a sigh. "It's pretty much the most life-changing news a pony could possibly deliver to his family, bigger than a marriage announcement, bigger than a pregnancy announcement, bigger than anything I ever thought I'd have to tell them about. But it's just too much in too short of time, y'know?"

"Yeah, I guess. 'Tween me showin' back up in their lives 'n' all that plus you 'n' yer wife makin' friendly with some sort o' goddess an' whatnot, I imagine they couldn't take any more excitement."

He chuckled. "No, I don't think so, at least not my mother. I thought that she was gonna have a heart attack when you walked in the door. She knew you were back, but there's hearing about it, and then there's seeing it."

"Shucks, I hope it wasn't really that bad. She seemed okay ta me," Applejack said with a nervous grin.

"Oh, she put on a big show for you, but boy, you should've seen what she looked like behind the scenes. I haven't seen her that excited since Gray and I told her we were having a foal together." With a sidelong glance, he added, "They all missed you. A lot. Having you around way back when was like having another member of the family, so this was like seeing a cousin you haven't seen in… well, seven years."

Applejack nodded. "Yeah. Y'all made me feel like family, too. And hey, at least this time I didn't break down cryin' 'n' all that. Had a chance ta really mellow out o'er the years 'bout my parents, y'know. Got a lil' bit o' closure when Granny tol' some stories ta me 'n' Mac 'bout 'em."

"How is your brother, by the way? Rarity said he got married?"

"Oh yeah, to this sweet lil' thing, Sugar Belle. Funny enough, she'd fit right in with all y'all; one o' the best bakers I've ever seen, yessiree. Not that she don't mesh real well wit' Mac o' course," she chuckled. "Just a funny thought, s'all."

"They have plans for kids? Just asking."

Applejack snickered. "Oh, sugarcube, I done told ya last time I was here that the Apple Clan's all about family. The bigger, the better. Now sure, no news yet, but a lil' birdie tol' me they'd started tryin' a few weeks ago. Just 'fore me 'n' the others showed up here, actually. Shucks, wouldn't be a darned bit surprised if'n I got back home an' Sugar was already showin' a lil' bump."

"Ahaha, well, sounds like the family's doing good back home in that case."

"Sounds like it's the same on this end. Shame I didn't get ta see lil' Shorthoof. Though I guess he ain't so little anymore, huh? Pro'ly grew up faster'n Bloom did, anyway." She smirked and shook her head. "Well, maybe I'll get lucky an' we'll see each other once all this junk gets sorted out."

"He's gonna love seeing you again, I guarantee it."

Flathoof showed her into what looked like a locker room, where there were currently dozens of ponies just doing regular locker room things: changing, chatting, and checking gear. What surprised Applejack though was that there were mares and stallions in here. Together. Doing all of those aforementioned things. Which meant, yes, some mares and stallions were very much in various states of undress. In the same room.

Applejack didn't mind, of course. If she'd said it once she'd said it a hundred times, she didn't normally wear clothes at all, aside from her stetson of course, and it didn't bother her none that everypony back home was exactly the same. The fact that ponies in this world seemed to care so much about being naked had always just seemed weird to her, but she wasn't about to rock any boats.

This locker room was legitimately the most "normal" thing she'd seen in this world since… ever.

"Hope you don't mind," Flathoof said as he took her along the rows of lockers and benches past dozens of ponies of both sexes doing their thing like it didn't even matter. "Hope's Point is a little more lenient about the whole 'nudity' thing as it is, sure, but the military is even more so."

"Don't bother me none," Applejack said, her attention not even drifting an inch; she wouldn't gawk at ponies back home, so she sure as hay wouldn't do it here. "Feels a lil' bit like home, minus the fact that y'all got mares 'n' stallions in the same room. That don't bother nopony?"

"Like I said, the military is even more lenient. Everypony here is part of a team, and the philosophy is that camaraderie is bred at home: you live with your squadmates, you eat with your squadmates, you serve with your squadmates, and if the worst comes to pass, you die with your squadmates. Might as well get comfortable being around them all the time, right?"

Applejack nodded. "Makes sense. If y'all get nervous 'round one another 'cause o' some stupid clothes rule, then ya can't rightly trust one another ta get yer back when things get rough, right?"

"That's the basic gist of it. Blackburn says they do the same thing in the south, both ponies and zebras." A pause. "Of course, down there they've just got a lot of different philosophies on other stuff that I find strange, but this isn't one of them."

Flathoof showed her over to a locker on the far end of the room and gave it a light tap. "Here's my locker. I don't use it much these days since I keep all my stuff at home and use a public gym, so you're welcome to use it whenever you'd like." He handed her a key. "Made a spare for ya. Let me know if you lose it."

"Shucks, thanks!"

He then used his own key to open the locker up and hoisted out a gym bag that was already in it. "And this is for you too. I called down here last night when you told me you needed help, and I figured I'd go all out."

He opened the bag to show Applejack its contents: "Training gear that's comfortable and functional so that you've got something to wear outside the locker room, and a towel and some shampoo for the showers afterwards. Basic gym stuff."

Applejack smirked and took the training gear out. It looked like a full-body suit of some sort, a lot like the flight suits the city's pilots wore, or like Rainbow's Wonderbolts flight suit. Not quite so all-encompassing—it didn't cover her head or her hooves—but pretty comparable. The towel still in the bag was also plenty big, and the shampoo bottle was sizable; the label said it was coconut-scented.

"Hoo doggie, you went all out there, sugarcube. You didn't need ta get all this fer me. I'd've been just fine workin' out in this," she said, pawing her hoof at the plaid work shirt she'd worn every day for the past three weeks. "But thanks. I appreciate it."

"Hey, no problem. That's what friends are for." Flathoof took his own gym bag, which he'd carried with him, and set it down so that he could take his own training gear out of it. "Welp, don't just stand there. If you wanna get working on your training, we might as well get started right away."

She nodded. "Yup, sounds good ta me."

Applejack took off her walk-around clothes and set them in the bag—except her hat, which she hung on a hook inside the locker—then started slipping on the training gear. True to its look, it was a snug little thing that was probably the most comfortable dang thing she'd ever worn; she hesitated to say that it felt like she was wearing nothing at all, but it was darn close.

And though she was changing right next to Flathoof, within only a few feet from other stallions and mares who were all either in their own walk-arounds, training gear, or nothing, she wasn't tempted to look at anypony whatsoever, nor was she self-conscious about them looking her way. It was just like being on the hoofball team back in high school all over again, except for there being stallions present.

Okay, that was a teensy white lie. She didn't gawk at anypony, but a curious cursory glance here and there never hurt nopony. She certainly didn't stare or anything like that, especially not at Flathoof; now that would be weird, seeing as Flathoof was more than just a friend to her. He was like a… brother from another mother, to borrow a phrase that she'd heard from Dash. And she didn't just mean that he looked almost exactly like Mac.

Once she was dressed and he was too, he set her gym bag into the locker alongside his and showed her back out of the locker room and towards the training facility. She was surprised at how large it was. It was more like a small arena than a gymnasium, but she couldn't argue that it was the latter with all of the exercise equipment present.

Ponies of all shapes and sizes served in the militia, it seemed. Unicorns trained both their magic and their bodies together at weight-lifting stations; pegasi trained their wings and legs on treadmills in front of large fans; earth ponies trained every part of themselves on various pieces of equipment. Being in the Hope's Point militia meant keeping in shape, and everypony here definitely fit the bill.

Those who weren't just working out were busy doing other training exercises, and not just purely physical ones, either. Besides seeing ponies sparring with one another in martial arts, boxing, and wrestling, she also saw what looked like some sort of range where ponies were practicing their aim with guns. Also, not all ponies were training with other ponies, but with strange pony-looking machines called—

"AMPs," Flathoof explained when she got caught gawking at one. "Automated Mechanical Ponies. Up north, the NPAF relies on them for the bulk of its front-line military; they're cheaper and easier to replace than flesh-and-blood soldiers, who serve in specialized roles."

"And down here?" she asked.

"Down here they're just used for… target practice, let's say. Our engineers reprogram them. On their own, they're pretty tough compared to the average sort of pony, but they can be tweaked with a variety of settings to make them more or less challenging. They're even programmed with several forms of martial arts so that they can be effective sparring partners, if that's more your speed."

He led her over to an empty section of the training area, where one of those AMP things was standing slumped over, its head lopsided and quite nearly about to fall off. Flathoof grunted in annoyance and stood the machine upright, then popped the head on roughly and gave it a little twist.

"I hate when folks forget to reset the machines when they're done. It's just lazy."

He popped open a side panel and tapped a few buttons on it, then shut the panel; she had to laugh at how he was still the same old Flathoof after all these years. Still as work-focused as ever, even when it wasn't his work to do.

"Now, I know you've made a pretty big deal about knowing how to handle yourself in a fight before, but there's a big difference between a bar fight and real hoof-to-hoof combat."

Applejack scoffed. "Why d'ya assume I get inta bar fights?"

Flathoof just stared at her, eyes half-lidded.

She chuckled. "Yeah, alright. I've gotten inta my fair share on a rowdy weekend night after work. Usually just me 'n 'Rainbow, though, or sometimes some jerk who thinks he can make a pass at a couple o' mares like he's the top dog in the kennel. Heh, never works. Dash's got different tastes, an' me, well, I ain't flag my tail fer no fella like that."

"Right." He shrugged. "Well, I set this thing onto a pretty basic setting just to see where you're at strength-wise and skill-wise."

"Fair enough, but ta be honest, I ain't all that worried 'bout my fightin' skills bein' up ta snuff. We can work on it, sure, I don't mind none, but I'm more focused on there here 'superpowers' or whatnot that I'm s'posed ta have now."

"Hm. Fair enough. Well, nothing says we can't work on both at the same time."

He set down his saddlebag and pulled out a hunk of solid rock that he'd apparently been lugging around this entire time; it was big enough to be heavy, but not big enough to be cumbersome. It was flat, too, which would make it easy to work with. He set it on the ground in front of the machine pony, and gestured for Applejack to stand on it.

"I figure that we can test out the difference between regular old Applejack and… stoney Applejack," he said. He patted the top of the machine's head then stood out of the way. "So, before you use those new powers of yours, let's see how much you can do the natural way. Hit that sucker as hard as you can."

Applejack nodded, then settled herself into a pretty standard "ready" stance that earth ponies used when they got into a fight: front end down and watching her opponent, rear end raised and ready to jump, run, or strike, whichever was needed. In a swift motion, she wheeled her whole body around and bucked her hind legs right into the chin of the machine with a sweet, satisfying crack.

Flathoof clapped his hooves briefly as Applejack turned to see her handiwork. The machine's head had snapped back at a rough angle; it actually made her just a tiny bit squeamish, because she imagined what that might have done to a flesh-and-blood pony.

She knew she was strong, but she'd never realized that if she really tried, she could probably kill somepony with just one good kick. She could swear that she'd kicked ponies hard like that before, but none of them had ever had that happen.

Probably just another thing that made this world different from hers.

"Hot damn, now that was a kick," Flathoof whistled. "I think I should've set the resistance levels higher. I knew you had a good kick in you, AJ, but wow."

"Shucks, don't you start showerin' me wit' praise 'n' whatnot there, sugarcube," she replied with a roll of her shoulders. "I bet y'all can do at least as good as me, 'specially now that ya got yerself in real good shape."

"Well, not to brag, but I've got a few records set in here. Crossfire's just taller, not stronger," he said with a smug little smile. "But hey, you're gonna be breaking my records in no time at all. Stronger than any mare I know of anyway. Besides my wife, of course."

"Heh, that ain't even a competition. Yer wife's a big as a dang ol' house, wouldn't surprise me none if she could kick harder'n me 'n you. Now, are we done gabbin'? I wanna see what I can do wit' this here rock o' yours."

Flathoof set the machine's head back in place, then stepped back again and let Applejack do her thing. She settled into the same position as before, only this time she kept her hooves locked on the sheet of flat rock that Flathoof had procured. She could hear a… resonance within the slab, a sort of "call" as Gilderoy had described it. And, like she'd done with the ruby, she let that resonance wash over her until her entire body felt as hard as a rock.

And, once in this new form, she swiveled again and kicked as hard as she could. Another satisfying crack. When she looked at her handiwork, though, there wasn't much of a difference from last time.

"Well dang, that's a bit disappointin'," she muttered, scratching her head.

"I wouldn't say that," Flathoof replied as he stepped up and reset the machine again. "Fine, maybe you're not stronger in this form, but you're probably a lot tougher. It'll still be useful in a fight, that's for sure. Some damn fool's gonna break their hoof trying to kick you, and you've definitely got nothing to fear from a knife or a gun."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. An' it ain't like I'm weaker or nothin'."

"Can I make a suggestion?"

She tilted her head. "Uh, sure. What's on yer mind?"

"I noticed that your whole body turned to stone there, head to tail. Emphasis on tail."

Applejack glanced back, realizing that yes, her tail was made out of solid rock, except for the band she used to keep the end in a tight bundle. "Yeah, so?"

"As somepony who's trained in a lot of close-quarters combat over the years—I'm still not much of a gun nut—I will say that there are a few fundamental concepts that ponies are taught to follow when fighting an earth pony like us, especially one that fights with your particular style.

"One of those rules is just a basic idea of where to watch for an attack to come from. Your stance has a certain limitation to it: you can only buck in one direction, directly behind you. One of the first things we teach new trainees is how to guard their face and chins. Most folks won't expect an attack to come from, say, the side."

She nodded. "Yeah, alright, makes sense. What's that got ta do wit' me?"

He smirked and gestured to her tail again. "Well, when you swing yourself around like you do, instead of bucking up with your legs, why don't you let your tail do the work? A big chunk of solid rock hitting somepony in the face is gonna wreck their day up real good."

"Aw yeah, I getcha. Swing my tail at 'em like a club. I can do that."

Flathoof nodded and stepped back. "Go on then, give it a shot."

Applejack settled back into her ready stance, then swung her body around like before, only she didn't kick upwards when she normally would, just let her momentum carry her solid, rocky tail swinging right into the side of the machine's face. She felt a sweet, satisfying crunch… followed by a very odd feeling of nothing.

A glance back at the machine told her it was still there, of course, it's head and neck mangled again and this time leaning far to the side.

However, her attention was really drawn to what was in the midst of crumbling apart in the air: her tail. All of her tail, pretty much, right up to the thin base near where it connected with her rear. Within a second of it falling apart, the solid rock turned back into golden blonde hair and fell to the floor.

Her eyes widened in shock. "What in tarnation?"

Flathoof was at her side almost instantly. "Holy crap! Are you alright, AJ? It doesn't hurt, does it? Do we need to get you to the hospital?"

"Easy, easy, I'm alright. It don't hurt any more'n gettin' a haircut does. But, uh… what just happened? I sure wasn't expectin' that."

Flathoof rubbed his chin and shook his head. "Looks to me like you hit the damn thing so hard your tail just broke off right at the base. Probably 'cause it wasn't as sturdy in that spot. Too thin, maybe? I mean… it might've worked better if you were hitting a regular pony or a straw dummy. This thing's made of pretty sturdy metal." A glance at her broken tail. "You're sure it doesn't hurt?"

"I'm fine, sugarcube, no worries."

Applejack let herself regain her normal flesh-and-blood form, then glanced back at her rear to see that her tail had indeed been completely clipped except for the first couple of inches. She was pretty sure it was a style in Las Pegasus, where some mares liked to keep their manes and tails shorter than usual to show off their rears, but this was a little much even by their standards.

With a sigh, she muttered, "Rarity's gonna kill me when she sees this…"

*****

Rarity was rather glad that Lockwood and Blackburn had invited her to a late dinner, and not for the usual reasons. Well, not just for the usual reasons, anyway. Wishing the little expedition party good luck on their travels had left her with a little sinking feeling in her stomach; several of her friends were going on a deep sea adventure, and Rarity just couldn't help herself from worrying.

A nice little private dinner with the royal couple did wonders to soothe her nerves, though. The food was excellent, and now she had the opportunity to truly savor it, and savor it she did. She didn't think anypony could make pumpkin soup quite this good, and the little kick of spice in it was a lovely surprise. And she absolutely needed to get the recipe for these garlic bread rolls.

Once dinner was finished, she and her hosts enjoyed a light dessert of cheesecake with raspberries, all while they carried on a little post-dinner conversation. It was mostly small-talk, of course, just musings on what was to come and what had happened over the past day, but that didn't bother Rarity one bit.

She was just enjoying herself too much. Only a few days ago, she dreaded Lockwood's charming little smiles, the warmth in his eyes, the delightful way he would touch her hoof when he had something important to say, his peculiar-but-cute sense of humor; now, she adored them, looked forward to them, welcomed them with open hooves.

She'd been terrified of every glance her way from the Iron Queen, as every look, every word, every sound that Rarity made could be something that flipped some switch in Blackburn's head and led Rarity into the dungeons of Hope's Point. Did the city even have dungeons? Surely not; surely they had a prison or a simple jail, and that just sounded so much worse. Now, though, every glance her way gave Rarity a little… thrill.

She was surprised, though, when there was a knock at the door to the royal couple's private chambers. While this was merely their private lounge and not their bedquarters, a part of Rarity was suddenly very nervous; what if somepony discovered her here who wasn't supposed to? No, surely not; Gadget was outside, a confidant to the royal couple—Crossfire knew too, naturally—and she wouldn't just let some random individual wander all the way to the door.

"Enter," Blackburn called. With a look to Rarity, she added, "Not to worry. Invited guest, she will maintain discretion."

Rarity raised an eyebrow; she wasn't curious as to why Blackburn knew she was nervous since Blackburn was always quick on the uptake. "A guest, you say?"

The door opened, and Gadget showed the guest in. A zebra mare, one clad in a white robe with a sword strapped to her back. She looked familiar, but Rarity couldn't remember where from just yet.

"Your Majesties," the mare said with a little salute; hers was not a hoof to her forehead as most of the soldiers around her delivered, but one to the heart. "You summoned me?" Her eyes drifted to Rarity for just a moment, slightly confused, but only for just a moment.

"Zyra, welcome," Blackburn said. "Have an assignment for you."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Blackburn then gestured to Rarity. "This is Rarity. Close friend of ours. Assigning you as her security detail."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Zyra replied with a nod. She turned to Rarity. "Miss Rarity, a pleasure. I am Zyra, and I will now serve as your security details on the orders of Her Majesty Queen Blackburn. My sword is sworn to protect you."

Rarity smiled and nodded back at the mare; she was delightfully professional. "A pleasure as well, dear. I thought that I recognized you, and now I remember from where: you were in the halls beneath the palace a few weeks ago, when I was visiting the… special guests. You were engaged in quite a discussion with another soldier, hmm?"

Lockwood nodded and gave Zyra a light smile. "Oh yeah, I remember that. She was fraternizing with Commander Pinpoint. While he was off duty, of course."

Zyra's face reddened slightly and she coughed into her hoof. "Ah. Yes, now I recognize you as well, Miss Rarity. Commander Pinpoint and I are… friends."

"Mmhmm," Rarity said with a knowing smile. She then turned to Blackburn. "What is this all about, though? A security detail? Am I in some danger that I don't know about?"

Blackburn shook her head. "No. Assign security details to particularly important individuals. Visiting diplomats and foreign dignitaries, important business associates, members of my Council, etc. Some do their work in secret and from a distance: have assigned one to Twilight Sparkle, for instance, but he does not make presence known." A breath. "Did not accompany her on expedition."

"I believe that we actually assigned the aforementioned Commander Pinpoint to that position, come to think of it," Lockwood added, tapping his chin. "He's very discreet. If you don't already know he's there, you never will."

"Ideal choice for protecting somepony who would refuse protection, perhaps deem it unnecessary?"

"I see," Rarity said with a nod and a glance to Zyra then back to Blackburn. "Did Fluttershy and I have security details before now? Just out of curiosity, of course."

"Yes. Fluttershy still does, as do your other companions. Foreign guests always receive them, though they are not always made aware."

"I thought the city was supposed to be safe, though? Are you expecting trouble to come after us? Or any of your other guests?"

"No. But never can be too careful."

"Blackburn's always been a little bit cautious about keeping everypony safe and secure if she can help it," Lockwood whispered loudly enough for Blackburn to hear. "I wouldn't worry about it, that's just how she is. If I didn't know better I'd say she had somepony tailing me while I was still living up north."

Blackburn gave him a cheeky grin. "And how do you know I didn't?"

"Ooh, an idle attempt to instill paranoia," Lockwood tutted. "Nice try honey, but if you did, you would've known about certain things that you didn't before I told you."

"Fair. Caught me lying," she replied with a shrug.

"Well, I appreciate the concern, certainly," Rarity said with a grin. She then turned back to Zyra again, this time fully putting her attention on the zebra mare, though she still spoke to the royals: "Might I ask why you are making Zyra known to me now if I had some hidden guardian angel out there before?"

"You're important to us," Blackburn said simply, tilting her head towards Lockwood. "Protector now known, hopefully inspires feelings of safety, contentment."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "No offense meant to Zyra, but I don't know if I really need a protector. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, you know."

"Please. I insist."

"What Blackburn means is," Lockwood interjected, scooting his chair close to Rarity to take her hoof in his. "You mean a lot to us and we want to be absolutely sure that you're protected and safe as long as you're here, no matter what happens. Not just in the city, but wherever you go; Zyra's assignment commits her to follow you anywhere in the world."

"Really? You'd follow me anywhere?" Rarity asked Zyra, eye wide.

"Yes, Miss Rarity. Until Her Majesty removes me from my post, it is my duty to protect you from harm whether external or otherwise," Zyra said with a deep nod. "No matter where your journeys might take you, I will follow."

"That's… an awfully strong commitment to somepony you hardly know, dear," Rarity muttered. She turned to Lockwood and Blackburn. "I don't know if I'm completely comfortable with this."

"If you don't want the protection, then just say the word and we'll send Zyra on her way," Lockwood said with a nod, his hoof caressing hers. "But before you refuse, just know that… with everything that's happening, now and in the future, your well-being matters to us. We care about you too much to let you be put at risk."

Rarity felt her face get hot and took a short breath. "Well, you certainly make a convincing argument." She looked at Zyra and gave her a warm smile. "And she's so polite, too. Oh, alright. Zyra dear, I think it will be lovely getting to know you. I hope that you don't mind following around somepony such as myself. I've been told I'm rather… high-maintenance."

"Not at all, Miss Rarity," Zyra said with a polite nod and a smile.

"Well, now that that's settled, I think it's time we move on to… the other thing?" Lockwood asked, giving Blackburn a meaningful look.

Blackburn smiled and nodded, then rose from her seat and walked over to a nearby cabinet, from which she procured a small, lovely jewelry box. She stepped around the table and gestured for Rarity to stand up, which she did, as Lockwood had done so as well. Rarity was extra curious as to what was going on; something was very strange about the way the two were behaving and smiling at one another.

Then, Blackburn offered the box towards Rarity. "Open it. For you."

Rarity raised an eyebrow, then lit up her horn and opened the box. Inside was a truly lovely little bracelet, just large enough to fit around her foreleg but not too large. It was made of gold—solid gold, Rarity could tell just by looking—laced with bands of silver; the craftsmanship was remarkable, as the metals blended together to make perfectly-spaced stripes without bleeding into one another whatsoever.

"My my my, how lovely," Rarity said, lifting the bracelet out of the box. "Thank you, both of you. I wasn't expecting a present. Oh, now I feel awful, I have nothing to offer you in return." She marveled at how well it matched her coat, and she hadn't even put it on yet. "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion," Blackburn said simply. "Token of our new relationship."

Rarity's eyes widened and she shifted her eyes over to Zyra briefly; the zebra's eyes were transfixed on the bracelet, oddly enough, as if she hadn't even heard what Blackburn had said. "Darling," Rarity said, turning back to Blackburn, "is it alright to just… ahem, well, I suppose Zyra would find out sooner or later if she's to shadow me, hmm?"

Zyra turned to Lockwood and Blackburn, as if a little stunned. "Your Majesties, forgive me. I did not understand the gravity of my task."

She then turned to Rarity and unsheathed her sword with her tail—Rarity was very confused—before kneeling down before the unicorn and presenting the sword as if it were some token, again, with her tail. How was she doing that? Why were some of those markings on her blade glowing?

"Lady Rarity, my sword is sworn to you as a soldier of Hope's Point. On my honor and on the honor of my ancestors, your life is my life, and no harm shall come to you so long as I draw breath."

Rarity blinked, unsure of what to make of all of that. "What?"

"Tell her she can rise," Lockwood whispered.

"Oh. Ahem. You may… rise?"

Zyra did so immediately and resheathed her sword, then saluted to Rarity as she had done before, a hoof to her chest.

"Am I missing something? What was all of that about?" Rarity asked Lockwood.

"Well, that was a traditional Zeb'ra'den oath of service. As for why she did that, I think that Zyra can explain it better than either of us can," Lockwood replied.

"Nonsense," Blackburn said with a coy grin. "Can sum up history in five… no, four sentences. Hmm. Explanation more romantic from Zyra, though. A fair point."

Rarity blinked and tilted her head at the royals. "Zyra can explain it better? More romantically? What does any of that mean? And what does it have to do with this?" she asked, gesturing at the bracelet. She turned to Zyra now. "Zyra, dear, please tell me what's going on. This is all so dreadfully confusing."

Zyra nodded. "Of course, My Lady. If I may, forgive me for earlier misappropriations of your title. I was not aware of your status. A lack of information is no excuse, but it is the only explanation I can give."

"My… proper title? I…" Rarity shook her head; best to play along. "Yes yes, you are forgiven for… whatever transgressions you're talking about. Now please, explain why everyone is acting so strangely all of a sudden."

"Of course, My Lady." Zyra gestured at the bracelet. "That is a union trinket, or at least it is called that in my culture. The gold-and-silver bands are unmistakable, and the process of making such a band is an ancient art passed down by zebra blacksmiths to their apprentices over many generations."

"A zebra jeweler, Zulique, moved here two years ago," Lockwood explained. "He's quite talented, and he does such incredible work on short notice to boot. We commissioned it yesterday afternoon, and he finished it this morning. Impeccable craftsmanship, hmm?"

Rarity felt her heart pounding in her chest; the name of the thing alone was rather romantic. "A… union trinket you say? Like a wedding band?"

"Not exactly, no. In zebra culture, it is not uncommon for noble couples to invite a Consort to share their bed and live with them," Zyra explained with a sagely nod. "Even His Majesty King Zaratite has several such Consorts. When last I saw Zeb'ra'den, he had eight, which is pleasantly high for his age. An admirable stallion indeed."

"A… a consort?" Rarity balked, wheeling on Lockwood and Blackburn. "What does she mean 'consort'?

"Term refers to—" Blackburn started.

"I know what the word means. I want to know why she's referring to such things when I'm involved."

"It's alright, Rarity. Please, just let her finish," Lockwood said gently. "You'll understand."

Rarity then turned back to Zyra, unsure what to make of any of this and getting just a little upset. "Go on. Sorry. This is all just… I'm flustered, is all. Please, continue."

Zyra cleared her throat. "Forgive me if I caused offense, My Lady. None was intended. You see, in zebra culture we have laws that forbid polygamy, at least in terms of marriage contracts. However, many noble couples marry for political purposes rather than out of love, much as the pony nobles do.

"In many such cases, the couple invites another zebra into their lives, often one that is loved by one of the two and who loves them in return. His Majesty's First Consort, Lady Zumia, was a minor lord's third-born daughter. His Majesty met her at a tournament and fell in love with her when he was only a teenager, but he was already arranged to wed Lady Zarnia, who is now our Queen."

Zyra then pointed at the bracelet. "A unity trinket such as this is similar to a wedding band in that it signifies to others that the Consort has been made legitimate; she is not a concubine, she is family. Typically a Consort is female and is invited by the husband—there are some male Consorts but they are rare—and she would share much of his wife's authority and benefits, though his wife's authority is still higher. Additional Consorts would be considered 'lower rank' than the First Consort."

Rarity's eyes widened as she stared at the bracelet; she understood all of the history but the implications of what it meant for her were impossible to ignore. "You mean… this bracelet, this relationship, makes me a proper Lady?"

"Yes," Blackburn said simply. "Mutual invitation from myself and Lockwood. Entitles you to all of our authority, though we take precedence."

"Technically 'Lady' isn't the proper title since we don't have an aristocracy here," Lockwood muttered, tapping his chin. "'Princess' might be inappropriate since that's Bluebolt's title, and we don't want there to be any confusion."

"Regardless of whether she was a noble-born lady beforehand, the proper title would be Consort," Zyra said simply. "Technically, her full title would be Lady Rarity, Consort to the King and Queen. At least in zebra culture. A union trinket does still allow her to take a noble-born title, however, though she would not be considered noble in terms of pedigree."

Lockwood blanched. "Oh, no, we can't go around calling her 'Consort'. That sounds demeaning."

"Perhaps in pony culture, Your Majesty. In zebra culture it is endearing; a Consort is one who is truly loved, at least in the majority of cases."

"Companion," Blackburn suggested. "She is our Companion. Appropriate, exemplifies appreciation and respect."

"Ooh, I like that," Lockwood said with a smile. He turned to Rarity. "How about you, Rarity? Any ideas?"

Rarity just stared at the two royals for a moment, then looked at the bracelet, then back to them. "And you knew about all of this when you gave this bracelet to me? All of the… the ramifications?"

The two royals shared a look, then nodded in unison. "Yes," they both said.

Lockwood stepped forward and took Rarity's hoof in hers, looking into her eyes. "We wouldn't joke about this. We're giving this to you because we want you to be a part of our lives. I love you. I meant that when I said it the first time, the second time, and every time after that since then, now, and into the future. That isn't going to change."

Blackburn smiled lightly and she stepped forward to put her hoof on Lockwood's and Rarity's. "Appreciate your company, appreciate you. Lockwood makes you happy, you make him happy, you make me happy. Want to make you happy too."

Rarity balked, shaking her head. "I… I don't know what to say. This is… well, it's most unorthodox." She sighed. "Ever since I was a little filly, I dreamed of meeting a handsome prince, falling in love and marrying him all in an evening, becoming a princess as beautiful and radiant as Princess Celestia herself.

"As I grew older, I realized how silly that dream was. There was no Prince Charming, just Prince Charmless; there was no distinguished celebrity to whisk me off my hooves and take me off into the sunset; there was no happy ending so long as I tried to live by that dream and that dream alone.

"And then you two… give me this. You tell me you love me, appreciate me, want me in your lives. You offer me everything that I ever could have wanted and more." Rarity brought her free hoof to her eye to wipe a tear. "I never thought that anypony could make me feel this way before. I would very much like to be your Companion… if you'll have me."

Blackburn nodded at Zyra. "Would you do the honors?"

"Of course, Your Majesty." She gestured for Rarity to pass over the bracelet, which she did, then unhooked the latch and helped Rarity put it on.

A perfect fit.

The royal couple then drew Rarity in for a hug. She had never felt so warm and loved in all her life.

Chapter Sixteen: Rebuke

Dawn had meticulously packed her suitcase with all of the necessary items she needed for the upcoming diplomatic retreat: a few changes of clothes—two professional dress suits and three casual dresses—her rechargeable toothbrush, a fresh bottle of her preferred shampoo, a fresh tube of her preferred toothpaste, a datapad containing the current series of novels she was reading, a portable music player loaded with classical music and equipped with a pair of tiny earbuds, a scarf in case it got cold, her make-up kit, and a backup pair of glasses. Two, actually. Just in case.

She knew that she wasn't forgetting anything. She'd checked five times and even used a checklist just to make sure, which had in turn been double-checked by a logistics program on her computer.

She didn't know exactly how long this retreat would take, so she knew she had to prepare for an extended stay in Hope's Point. Gray had delivered the news this morning: not only had Twilight and Winter taken an expedition down into the deep ocean, but the southern delegates were en route and would be arriving tomorrow afternoon. Dawn needed to be in Hope's Point well ahead of that so that she could physically and mentally prepare herself.

Curaçao knocked at the open door to Dawn's bedchambers to get her attention. "Have you gotten everything packed?" she asked.

Dawn nodded. "Yes. I have meticulously packed—"

"I know what was on your list," Curaçao interrupted with a grin. "I put it together myself. You do not need to repeat it to me. You are ready then, oui?"

"Yes." Dawn took a breath and nodded firmly, mostly to herself. "This is a momentous occasion, sister; New Pandemonium has never engaged in diplomatic relations with the southern nobility before outside of Champagne's trade agreements, and those were with minor lords and ladies, not the heads of the noble households."

"Oui, I can imagine that you're feeling pretty nervous. Not just for those reasons, of course."

"Naturally. A representative from House Silver will also be present. Father has not interacted with anypony from his old family for hundreds of years. He is not nervous himself, of course, but I am filled with… anxiety." Dawn shook her head. "House Silver is technically our family, albeit not by blood, and separated by generations. I have never met a 'distant' relative before…"

Curaçao set her hoof reassuringly on Dawn's back. "You will do fine, ma sœur. Her Majesty will be there to help smooth out any edges, non?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. Her Majesty already possesses a working relationship with all of the major noble houses; she will most assuredly ensure that there are as few troubles as possible in these proceedings. The successful resolution to this summit is imperative to the survival of not just New Pandemonium, but Hope's Point as well, and the Utopian and Zeb'ra'den societies."

"Oui. And do not worry, I will handle everything on this end, here in our city. You only need to concern yourself with your own mission."

"Naturally." Dawn paused for a moment. "Are you certain that we should not—"

Curaçao put a hoof to Dawn's lips. "No. That information stays between you and me; I have not even told Velvet and Insipid yet. Trust me when I tell you that it is better this way, for now."

"I still do not understand—"

"And that is why I insist. Let me handle that, Dawn. It will be better if I tell them in the first place, and I will choose the proper time and place to handle it; Havoc and Gray understood my reasoning, so you should as well." Curaçao then smiled and drew her little sister in to kiss her forehead. "Everything will be okay, ma sœur. Just trust me."

Dawn sighed and nodded. "Very well. Father has expressed to me on multiple occasions that he trusts your judgment on a multitude of topics, so I shall extend to you that same courtesy."

"Heh. Merci."

Another knock came at the door, and Dawn and Curaçao turned to see a young filly standing there, one of the Shadows: Serendipity. She was a white-coated pegasus with a short black mane with white stripes in the bangs. She also had a large splotch of black on her coat over her left eye that could be easily mistaken for a tattoo, but it wasn't. She was wearing a professional-looking dress suit, which Dawn approved of.

"Miss Dawn?" the filly said. She then nodded at Curaçao. "And Missus Curie. Hello."

Curaçao smiled. "Ah, bonjour, Serendipity. I like your outfit, c'est très pro."

The filly smiled back and ran a hoof along the chest pocket. "Thank you. It's my new work uniform." She then turned to Dawn. "Miss Dawn, could I ask you a question?"

Dawn hummed. "I was just preparing to depart for Hope's Point, as you are no doubt aware. But I suppose I have a few moments that I can spare for my apprentice if she has an inquiry that requires my insight."

"Well, it's less of a question and more of a… favor." Serendipity tapped her hooves together briefly. "I wanted to know if… could I come with you to Hope's Point, Miss Dawn?"

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "You wish to join me on my diplomatic retreat?"

"Yes ma'am. As your apprentice and the future leader of the Shadows once we are old enough to form a proper team, I feel it is my duty to learn more about my role. I have studied under you for years and learned a lot about how to delegate tasks and inspire others, but I haven't learned how to interact much with other ponies outside of the group.

"While I'm confident that I can handle these sorts of things on my own, I don't want to coast on supernatural luck all the time. I want to feel like I'm making it work out because I did a good job by myself."

Dawn considered this for a moment. On one hoof, taking Serendipity along would complicate matters slightly, as Dawn's arrangements were made specifically for her and her alone. Gray or Havoc might volunteer to help if things didn't work out as planned, but that was a complication in and of itself if the two continued to be insubordinate.

On the other hoof, the filly made a compelling argument, as there was no better way to learn the ins and outs of diplomacy than by sitting in on such an important summit. If Serendipity was to one day take over for Dawn as leader of not only the Shadows, but the entire city—Dawn knew that she would not have the same longevity that her father had—then it was only logical for her to learn from an early age how these things worked.

Not to mention that if Serendipity met these southern nobles now, while she was young, she could already start forming beneficial relationships with them, or rather with their children. In politics it wasn't always a matter of what you knew, but who you knew that was important.

Dawn nodded in agreement. "While I am hesitant to bring anypony else along on this retreat, the logic in your suggestion is sound and wise. The benefits far outweigh the complications that could arise from having you along. So, yes, you may join me."

Serendipity smiled and pumped her hoof. "Yes. Thank you, Miss Dawn. I won't let you down."

"Of course you won't. If I might impose a few ground rules, however? You are there to observe, not to participate; I want no sudden outbursts, no speaking out of turn, no speaking unless spoken to, at least insofar as any actual meetings in which you are observing. You may interact freely with others outside of these proceedings, but you are to be on your best behavior. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good."

Curaçao smiled and approached Serendipity to pat her shoulder. "After what I just witnessed, I think you might just be a successful diplomat already, oui?"

Serendipity smiled. "Thank you, Missus Curie."

"I suppose that you are also looking forward to seeing your friend Sunspire again?" Curaçao asked with a cheeky grin.

Serendipity nodded. "Yes ma'am. As a member of my team I wanted to check in on him and get a report—"

"Mmhmm," Curaçao murmured, her grin widening. "It is alright to admit to wanting to see your friend because you miss him."

Dawn, eyebrow raised, interjected, "Why would she want to go to Hope's Point in order to see Sunspire?"

Curaçao blinked. "Because Sunspire is in Hope's Point? Still in Hope's Point, I might add? Velvet has been quite upset about the fact that he has been there for an entire month, far longer than you initially suggested he would be gone."

Now, Dawn blinked, looking at the floor as she processed this information. "No, that cannot be accurate. Sunspire is currently in the tower's library, is he not? He finished his expedition with Winter quite some time ago."

"Oui, and you didn't bring him back during any of your visits to Hope's Point since then," Curaçao said, her expression somewhere between angry and disbelieving. "Are you telling me that you forgot?"

Dawn shook her head. "No, of course not. Sunspire must have requested that he remain in Hope's Point for the time being, likely to assist with the issues that have arisen there over the past month. Failing that, Winter most assuredly requested that he stay for that same reason. I must have forgotten to inform Velvet about it. Would you take care of that for me?"

"Mmhmm. Well, ma sœur, just make sure that when you return home this time, you bring him along with you." A brief tilt of her head towards Serendipity. "And Serendipity as well, oui?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Of course, sister."

Curaçao shook her head, then turned back to Serendipity with a smile. "Have fun, Serendipity."

"Thanks, Missus Curie," the filly replied.

After Curaçao left, Dawn turned her attention to Serendipity as well. "I will depart in ten minutes. You have that long to prepare yourself for the trip; pack a suitcase—"

Serendipity reached out into the hallway and pulled in a small suitcase. "Already packed, Miss Dawn."

"You… you are?"

With a big grin, Serendipity replied, "I already knew you'd say yes, Miss Dawn. I guess you could say it was a lucky guess."

*****

Serendipity had never been outside Pandora Tower before. It wasn't explicitly forbidden, apart from a short period following the attack on Miss Velvet that got Caramel hurt; Overseer Pedigree had since lifted that temporary ban once the sandstorm had cleared, though he required that all Shadows leaving the tower had to do so with armed guards. Serendipity had just never taken advantage of the privilege. She wasn't interested in joining Rebel's little skyball team and she couldn't imagine herself in Razzle's high-society clique.

She'd never actually thought much about leaving the tower, either. Miss Dawn did all of her work inside the tower outside of a few major exceptions—emergencies that required her physical presence, naturally—and so that was where Serendipity would spend most of her time too. She had no reason to want to leave, not when everything she needed or wanted was right at home, within easy reach.

But then Sunspire left the tower to go on some sort of "adventure". Miss Velvet had called it an expedition, but that was just another word for adventure. It hurt just a little bit that Sunspire hadn't told her that he was going out into the Wastelands. She was even just a little bit worried about him; the Wastelands were supposed to be dangerous, even if he did supposedly have a good guide with him. What if he got hurt? What if he was lonely?

Now, though, she was here, in Hope's Point, the so-called Jewel of the North—she was careful never to use that nickname around Miss Dawn, of course. The city wasn't nearly as big as New Pandemonium was, and even the tallest buildings here were small compared to some of the taller buildings back home, and that didn't even include Pandora Tower. All of the ponies seemed nice enough, not at all the sorts of ponies she expected from what Miss Dawn said about them. And it was so clean.

She didn't know what to make of the fact that the city had both a surface level and an underground level, the latter of which she and Miss Dawn walked through now. Sure, she knew the city's history, but it still seemed so odd to her; being underground, as a pegasus like herself, was just an odd, odd, odd sensation. Her body luckily didn't have to rely on her eyes to know which way was up.

The royal palace, though, was a treat. It was a series of towers arranged around a central structure, all of it colored in the gold and red colors of Hope's Point, and all of it decorated in Hope's Point livery. The city's emblem was a black lighthouse on a field of gold and red, a symbol that inspired hope and progress; this contrasted with New Pandemonium's black flaming sword against a field of just red, a symbol of strength and war.

She and Dawn were greeted at the gates to the palace and allowed entry after only a few seconds, just enough time for the guards to acknowledge their presence and identify them. They were greeted again once they got inside, this time by a mare who Serendipity knew was Her Majesty Queen Blackburn herself, in the flesh; she was accompanied by a smaller mare, a bodyguard if Serendipity had to guess.

"Shadow Associate Dawn," Blackburn said simply with a brief nod of acknowledgement.

"Your Majesty," Dawn replied, her own nod a little deeper. "I hope that my arrival is not too early and inconveniences you. I wanted to ensure that I am physical and mentally prepared—"

"Don't need an explanation. Understand completely, agree with you." Blackburn's gaze turned towards Serendipity. "Had originally planned to arrange a hotel for you, as before. New guest altered my plans. You are?"

Serendipity bowed, as was appropriate before royalty; she'd been taught well and knew how to act. "Serendipity, Your Highness."

"My apprentice," Dawn clarified, adjusting her glasses. "I wished to have her along so that she could observe the diplomatic summit and perhaps obtain knowledge as to how such proceedings are handled. It was her suggestion."

"Hmm. Acceptable," Blackburn agreed. "Would allow the same for Bluebolt were she older, if she wanted."

Blackburn then nodded and turned her attention back to Dawn. "Because of additional party, have decided to put you up in the palace as official guest. Environment more appropriate for a young filly, more comfortable. Accommodations being made to room; unexpected development, not ready yet. Will be soon. Until then, you may leave your things with palace staff, relax in lounge."

"Ah, thank you, but no thank you, Your Majesty," Dawn said. "We will certainly leave our luggage with your staff to deliver to our guest quarters, but Serendipity and I have some other arrangements to attend to, namely that I must speak with my sister Gray to obtain a standard report from her."

Blackburn raised an eyebrow. "And Havoc?"

"Hmm. I suppose I could pay her a visit. Though we are no longer associated professionally, I still feel it prudent to check-in with her on other professional matters; Curaçao still consults with her in regards to Admiral Jetstream and I wish to ensure that such discussions are proceeding well."

"Hmph. As to be expected. Assume you are bringing your ward along, will advise you to keep her close. Wouldn't want you to forget her someplace."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to clarify your meaning, Your Majesty? I am afraid I do not understand what you are referring to… ah. My apologies. I was unaware that you were under the same impression that Curaçao was. I have not 'forgotten' Sunspire here, he merely requested that he be allowed to remain here and assist in the endeavors surrounding Pandemonia."

Blackburn narrowed her eyes. "Indeed? Never mentioned this. Another 'secret'?"

"Oh no, not at all. It merely slipped my mind in all the excitement of the past few days, you understand."

"Hmm… very well. Can only take you at face value for now anyway; will confer with Sunspire when he returns."

"When he returns from where?"

"From the deep sea expedition. Winter and Twilight allowed him to accompany them."

Dawn nodded in understanding. "Ah. A good decision. His special abilities will benefit them in their search as it did for the expedition into the gryphon ruins.

Serendipity felt her heart and stomach sink a bit. "You mean… Sunspire isn't here? He's going off on some dangerous mission again?"

Dawn gave Serendipity a look; it was rare that she would direct that look towards Serendipity of all ponies. "Surely the mission holds no danger, otherwise Twilight would not have allowed him to come along. There is no need to worry about him."

"Perhaps. If danger is present, Twilight will keep him safe," Blackburn said, giving a much softer look to Serendipity. "Will agree that worrying accomplishes nothing, however." Her gaze went back to Dawn. "Now, you wish to leave luggage here, will accept, allow you to go about your business. Otherwise, would prefer you kept your distance until summit. And beyond, if possible."

Dawn paused, then took a short breath and nodded. "Very well, I will put forth maximum effort not to intrude upon your privacy so long as we are on this retreat, Your Majesty." She gestured for Serendipity to follow her. "Come along, Serendipity. We will visit with my sisters and carry on from there."

"Yes ma'am," Serendipity said with a nod.

As they left, Serendipity glanced back briefly to get a look at Blackburn as she watched them go. She'd never claim to be as good at reading ponies as, say, Missus Curie was—nopony was as far as Serendipity knew—but she could see the way the queen looked at Miss Dawn, and it was not a pleasant look. There was a fire in her eyes there, more than just a simple dislike, but there was also… something else. Serendipity couldn't put her hoof on it.

The queen's eyes met hers briefly, though, and softened immediately before she turned away and began attending to her own business. Serendipity was used to seeing softness in Miss Velvet's eyes, but this was different too, and again was something she didn't quite understand.

The trip back up to the embassy where Missus Gray lived was short and quiet. Miss Dawn despised small talk and only ever participated in it if absolutely necessary or if somepony else initiated it, and she usually tried to swiftly get out of it. Serendipity had learned very early on that it was best to stay quiet and only speak when spoken to, or if there was an absolutely critical piece of observation that needed to be expressed.

As such, she didn't say anything either, just looked around the city and compared it to what she'd heard and read about it over the years. For the most part she felt as if the city's old reputation as a pirate haven of debauchery and sin had hardly been earned; there were certainly establishments here and there that Serendipity could tell were not meant for little colts and fillies or even most upstanding adults, but they had those up north too, didn't they?

And the ponies here seemed to be, as she'd observed earlier, nice enough folks. They dressed like the northerners did—though the fashion sense was different—and walked like the northerners did, they had varied accents like the northerners did and most of them were originally from the north anyway.

Miss Dawn was supposedly trying to broker peace with these ponies, but Serendipity had to wonder: why were they even at war in the first place? How could anypony hate other ponies that weren't really all that different, and for no good reason?

When she and Dawn arrived at the embassy, the door was answered a moment later by a unicorn stallion in what looked like a butler costume… or maybe he was actually a real butler? "Ah, Shadow Associate Dawn, welcome," the stallion greeted with a polite bow. "Madam Skies has been expecting you. She was not expecting any additional company, however."

Dawn gestured at Serendipity briefly and with only her eyes to let her know she should introduce herself, which she did.

The butler nodded politely. "A pleasure, Miss Serendipity."

He then gestured for Dawn to enter, which she did without so much as an acknowledgement. Serendipity followed right behind, though she at least nodded in thanks to the stallion, who gave her a little grin in turn before closing the door behind them and then hurrying ahead of Dawn to lead the way inside.

After ascending some stairs they found Gray Skies in what looked like an office, though not an office like Dawn's. Dawn's office had originally belonged to her father and she hadn't done anything to change it, at least according to Dawn herself. It had a minimalistic design to it, unladen by decorations that would normally inhabit an office; Missus Curie's office had lots of decorations, for instance, mostly photographs of her family.

Missus Gray's office was more of a mix between the two, relatively minimalistic but with clear personal touches that Miss Dawn's didn't have, like a mini fridge in the corner and a family photo—just the one—on the desk. Missus Gray herself was leaned back in a comfortable, reclining office chair, her rear hooves kicked up on her desk, staring up at the ceiling and tossing a ball up, catching it, then repeating.

"Madam Skies, the Shadow Associate has arrived, as well as an additional guest, a Miss Serendipity," said the butler as he showed the mare and filly into the room.

"Thanks Highbrow," Gray said without taking her attention off her ball-tossing. "That'll be all for now."

"Of course, Madam." He then bowed and headed off elsewhere into the house.

"Gray," Dawn said simply, taking a step forward. "As I communicated to you before my departure, I wish to be provided with a status report to overview during my stay here in Hope's Point. It is imperative that I am up-to-date on the situation here so that I may best formulate my negotiation process."

"Uh-huh. I'll get it to you."

Dawn blinked. "You do not have it already prepared?"

"Nah. I don't do the report work this early in the day. This is the time I set aside for calls, meetings, and other stuff like that. You're the only meeting I've got scheduled today, actually, so I'm taking it easy until lunchtime."

"So you do not utilize your substantial unassigned time to perform other tasks?"

"Nah. I've got a system and it works."

Dawn's eye twitched. "How long must I wait for the report?"

"I'll get it to you when I get it to you."

Dawn snorted and took another step forward. "Sister, I tolerate a lot of unorthodox behavior from you," she said through clenched teeth, "but this is an unacceptable work ethic from a pony in your political position. I will not have you delay my planned schedule because of your sheer laziness."

"Hmm." Gray shrugged. "Nah. If you don't like it, tough. Like I said: I've got a system, and it works. You've never complained about it before. Why start now?"

"Because I was unaware that you possessed such extraordinary dilatoriness, more than I ever remember you displaying in years past." Dawn shook her head. "Your performance reflects upon me, and I will not allow my own reputation to be tarnished because of your ineptitude."

"What are you gonna do, fire me? Like you tried to do to Havoc?"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

Gray smirked and shook a little with laughter; she still did not take her eyes off of the ceiling. "Go on then. Do it. But you're gonna have to explain it to Curaçao when you get home. She likes my report schedule; I set it up to make things comfortable for her. Anypony else gets put in here, they're either gonna screw up the good thing Curie and I have, or they're just gonna do what I've been doing anyway."

Dawn grumbled something under her breath. "Fine. Deliver that report to me as soon as it has been completed. I would prefer to at the very least read it over dinner. Is that acceptable, or would that impede upon your lethargic lifestyle?"

"Dinnertime's fine, sure."

"Good. Now then, are there any other matters to discuss?"

"Nope. I don't have anything more to say to you."

"Very well. Then I will take—"

Gray then caught the ball and stopped. "Wait wait, that's not right. I do have one thing to say. Almost forgot." She turned her attention fully to Dawn now. "You know that Pandemonia woke up again about a week ago, and how she's walking around now, right?"

Serendipity had no idea who or what "Pandemonia" was; Miss Dawn had never mentioned… "her", apparently. Was Pandemonia a pony?

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Yes, I am aware of this. Is this somehow relevant to your report?"

"Sure is. See, she wanted to take a look around the city, y'know, get a feel for all the stuff she missed out on over the time she's been gone. Flathoof and I offered to give her a few tours around to help her come to terms with all the changes, and to help her get acclimated to her new body. My idea."

"Really? That shows a surprising amount of initiative coming from you, enough that I would be willing to guess that this was your husband's idea, not your own."

Gray smirked and tapped her hoof on her desk. "See, there's one of those back-hoofed compliments again. The kind of stuff that gets Havoc all riled up." She shook her head. "Not me, though. I don't need to get angry about it. You know why?"

Dawn snorted. "I do not even understand what you mean by 'back-hoofed compliment', but I suppose you are going to give me some spiel about it?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that. I'm gonna tell you how I'm getting back at you."

"How you… what? Provide me with some clarification, sister. This prattling of yours sounds like nothing more than nonsensical drivel."

Gray smiled. "Well, y'know, I'm supposed to be representing how great our city up north is, right? Yeah… I haven't been doing that with her. In fact, I've been doing nothing but tell her how great Hope's Point is, how it's this city—not ours—that truly exemplifies every value that she represents: a triumph over adversity."

Dawn's eye twitched. "Gray, you know that that is a complete misrepresentation of events—"

Gray barked out a laugh. "Ha! Is it, though? I can guarantee you that Dad would agree with me on this one. He even said it himself: Nihila did everything she could to destroy cities like Hope's Point from even getting started. Hope's Point's founders are the only ones that resisted, the only ones who stood up to Nihila—to us—and said that they weren't going down without a fight.

"So yeah, I've been going on about how great this city is and how lousy ours is. I've told her all about how New Pandemonium does nothing but try to crush everypony down, and how most of the ponies who do rise above it all just treat everypony below them like garbage. But you don't even need me to tell you that; you've met folks like Treasurer Vendetta, like Taskmaster Concrete. They're not exceptions to the rule, they are the rule."

Dawn's teeth were grinding together so loudly that Serendipity could hear them. "Then perhaps I had better set the record straight with her."

"Oh, you can try," Gray said with a smirk. "But I think I've put the idea in her head by now that Hope's Point is the real Jewel of the North." She then leaned back in her seat and started tossing the ball again. "Just thought I'd let ya know. Wanted to do it face-to-face."

Dawn seethed in place for a moment, then turned for the door. "Come along, Serendipity. I have nothing more to do here."

Serendipity was about to turn and follow, when Gray called out to her. "Oh, hey! Serendipity, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

"Huh?" she asked.

"I know it's been a long time, kiddo," Gray said, sitting up in her seat and turning to her with a smile. "You're looking good. You got pretty tall, actually."

"Oh. Um, thank you Missus Gray," Serendipity said with a nod.

"If you want, you can stick around here for a little bit. Green Guard gets home from school in an hour or so and I just know he'd dig seeing you again, like he did with Sunspire. They're pretty good friends now from what I've seen."

Serendipity blinked; she was shocked. Shocked. "Green Guard is friends with Sunspire?"

"I'm pretty sure, yeah. Sunspire was over here every other day to chat with him, it feels like." Gray tilted her head. "Green's a bit more sociable than he was last time you saw him. It's been, what, five years right?"

"That's right. You really think he'd want to see me? We were never friends before."

Gray smiled wide. "Sure! He wasn't friends with Sunspire before, either, so why not?"

Serendipity smiled and looked at Dawn, who was most decidedly not smiling at the moment. "Um… Miss Dawn, can I—

"Do whatever you like, Serendipity," Dawn said simply. "Just be back to the palace before bedtime; I will not tolerate you waking me by coming back to our guest chambers late at night, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And remember, you are representing more than just New Pandemonium, you are representing me. I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"Yes ma'am."

Dawn grunted and turned to the door. "Then I will see you again when you return to the palace. If you require an escort, I am certain that Ambassador Skies can accommodate you."

Serendipity watched her go, unsure what to make of what had just happened. She certainly felt lucky that Miss Dawn had agreed to let her stay, but she didn't feel all too happy about it. She'd never seen Miss Dawn talk with any of her sisters like this before, or rather, she'd never seen any of Dawn's sisters talk to her like Missus Gray just did. Were they on bad terms right now? That certainly didn't feel like any normal argument.

Well, whatever the reason, she hoped that this was the last of it that Miss Dawn would have to deal with for the rest of the day.

*****

Obtaining Havoc's new address had been rather simple, though Dawn found herself rather unamused with what the destination looked like. This was where Havoc lived now? A little insignificant shack that sat along a row of other, identical shacks? She'd been under the impression that Havoc had good relations with Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood; surely they wouldn't allow a close companion to live in such squalor?

She walked up the path in the front yard and made her way to the door, then gave it a short little knock and waited.

It seemed as though the information she'd received was accurate, because Havoc answered the door, wearing nothing but a casual shirt with some foul language written on it. "Dawn? The fuck are you doing here?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

"I will be in Hope's Point for a period of days to attend the diplomatic summit that Her Majesty is organizing. Surely you are aware of it?" Dawn asked, adjusting her glasses.

"Well, yeah, I know all about that whole thing. I wasn't really gonna get involved with it though, so I didn't know you'd even been invited. Or did you just invite yourself and everypony else just let you have your way like usual?"

Dawn grunted; her sister certainly knew how to grate her nerves in a hurry. "On the contrary. As the southern delegates will be discussing matters regarding Pandemonia, Nihila, and how we plan on moving forward with our world's future, it was a logical decision to include New Pandemonium in the discussions."

"Yeah, or they just need you there because they need to talk to Dad," Havoc scoffed. "Otherwise Curaçao or Gray should be there instead."

"Curaçao has other matters to attend to back home in regards to our search for Nihila, and Gray is the ambassador to Hope's Point only, not to the entirety of the world; she has no business being involved with these proceedings."

"Spoken like the wonderful sister you are."

"Honey? Who's at the door?" asked a voice from behind Havoc.

"It's nopony, babe, don't worry about it," Havoc called back.

A mare came up to Havoc's side dressed in a bathrobe, her damp mane indicating that she'd just gotten out of the shower.

"Oh. Hello," the mare said when she saw Dawn standing there; she wasn't smiling, which was rather rude. "I know you. You're Havoc's sister Dawn, right? I remember you from the royal wedding a while back."

Dawn tilted her head slightly. "That is correct. I am afraid that I do not know you, however. You say that you remember me from the wedding, but I cannot recall your face whatsoever."

"I was Havoc's date?"

Dawn shook her head. "That does not assist me in my recollection of events."

"Are you sure?" the mare asked, tapping her chin. "I'm pretty sure we introduced ourselves."

"Just forget it, babe, she didn't pay attention to anything that didn't have to do with her or revolved around something she could use to make herself look good," Havoc growled.

"My name's Cotton," the mare said, offering her hoof; at least she'd finally learned some manners. "Cotton Rose."

Dawn didn't take the other mare's hoof right away, but she did once it was clear she wasn't still wet from the shower. "Golden Dawn," she said simply. "But you already knew that, apparently."

"Look, what are you doing here?" Havoc snorted. "You know I'm not with the NPAF anymore, and you sure as hell know I don't want to talk to you."

Dawn closed her eyes and took a short breath; Havoc always did have to be difficult to deal with. "You are assisting Curaçao with the matter of Admiral Jetstream and his integration into our inner circle. I am merely checking in, so to speak, to ensure that this task is still being performed to a satisfactory degree."

Havoc took a step forward and poked Dawn in the chest. "You don't get to check in on me anymore, Dawn. I don't work for you, I don't work for your fucking city, and I don't want to talk to you. Curie and I have our arrangements, so that's gonna have to be good enough."

"Considering that I am in charge of all Committee proceedings and that Curaçao acts on my orders, I believe I am entitled to know—"

Havoc took another step forward, her nose just inches from Dawn's. "Fuck. You. I don't want to talk to you. If you make me say it again—"

"Honey, maybe you should just head back inside," Cotton suggested, running her hoof on Havoc's back. "You know you're supposed to be trying to take it easy."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Why does she need to 'take it easy'?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but the doc says that I fucked up some of my recovery process because I'm stressed out all the time," Havoc grunted, teeth bared. "No thanks to you, of course. I'm supposed to try and keep calm and find healthier outlets for my stress."

"Which means you should just head back inside, hop on the couch, and relax," Cotton said, a little more emphatically. "I'll give you a lil' massage in a few minutes, 'kay?"

"Yeah… alright." Havoc snorted at Dawn, then turned back around and headed into the house without another word.

Dawn grunted and shook her head, then turned to leave; this had proven an unfortunate waste of time, but then most things revolving around Havoc were.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?" Cotton said before Dawn even got all the way off the porch.

Dawn rolled her eyes and turned back to the mare. "I have more important matters to attend to over the course of the day. Unless this is of crucial importance—"

"It is."

"Very well," Dawn sighed. "What is it?"

Cotton tapped her chin. "Well, actually, it's not so much a question as it is a statement. I wanted you to know something."

"Yes? Get on with it."

"That mare in there?" Cotton said, gesturing towards the house with her hoof. "I love her more than anything in the world. She makes me happy, and I like to think that I make her happy too. That's why I married her."

Dawn raised an eyebrow; she had to have misheard that. "What nonsense is this? Havoc isn't married."

"Yeah, she is. To me. She made it a point not to tell you or even invite you, but I'm making it a point to let you know now."

"Why?"

Cotton stepped down the porch until she was inches away from Dawn. "Because I wanted to tell you to stay away from her."

Dawn scoffed; this mare was clearly hysterical, which explained a lot. "You have no authority over me."

"As her partner, yeah, I kinda do. It's my responsibility to look after the mare that I love, to protect her from things that would hurt her however I can, and the one and only thing that can still hurt her is you. So stay away from her." Cotton gestured back at the house again. "This is our house, and you're not welcome here.

"I don't want you talking to her in person, I don't want you trying to talk to her with that little telepathy thing you have, I don't want you writing her a letter or giving her a phone call." She then poked Dawn in the chest to emphasize each word: "Stay. Away. From. Her."

Dawn sneered and adjusted her glasses; they'd come askew from the poking. "Or what? Do you know who I am?"

"I know exactly who you are, Golden Dawn, and I don't care. I wouldn't care if you were the Empress of the World and the strongest unicorn to ever walk the earth. I'm warning you now: if you do anything to make my Havoc upset again, I'm gonna make you wish that you hadn't. Got it?"

"Hmph. It is evident why Havoc would join with you in matrimony: you are both brutish, uncouth, barbaric individuals who are under the delusion that you are more powerful than you actually are. Good day, Missus Rose."

With that, Dawn turned and stormed off without so much as looking back.

*****

Dawn returned to the royal palace sometime after mid-afternoon, having only stopped briefly for a small lunch break before continuing about her day. She'd expected to be getting back around dinnertime so that she could make some preparations before it was time for sleep, but she'd finished far sooner than she'd originally anticipated.

Serendipity wasn't here yet, likely because she was still spending time at the embassy with Green Guard… that was the name of one of the Shadows, wasn't it? No, it couldn't be. Sure, Gray had made mention of a few things that indicated that this "Green Guard" would know who Serendipity and Sunspire were, but there was no way it was the same Green Guard. He was still up north at Pandora Tower, wasn't he? She'd have to check when she got back.

No matter. What mattered was that Dawn currently had a fair amount of free time that she didn't originally plan to have, but that tended to happen when plans fell through unexpectedly.

So, since she wasn't hungry enough to partake in an earlier dinner, and since she didn't have a report from Gray to look over yet, and since Serendipity hadn't returned, she had to kill time somehow. She did so by sitting on the room's comfortable sofa, leaning back with her music player in her hoof, and listening to some music while trying to take a nap.

As for why she had so much time to herself, it had been rather strange, actually. She'd been disappointed but not entirely surprised that Gray and Havoc had stonewalled her attempts to obtain information so readily; it was to be expected since the two were currently "upset" with her because they didn't agree with how she ran things, but eventually they would have to come around.

It was the other ponies who she attempted to meet with, and who had declined her invitations, that came as a bit of a surprise.

"Sorry, Dawn," Applejack had said. Dawn had found her in the city's militia barracks, specifically in their gymnasium, training with Captain Flathoof. "I'd love ta have a chat with ya but as y'all can plainly see, I'm busy wit' trainin'."

"Training for what, might I inquire?" Dawn had asked.

"Fer whatever might come at us if we're gonna fight against Nihila ta save everypony? I mean, I figured that'd be obvious."

"Ah. A wonderful notion, and an admirable application of forethought. If only my other sisters were quite so willing to take actual initiative, aside from Curaçao of course. Gray would rather laze about all day and complain that I am interrupting her 'schedule' than provide me with any sort of update as to her progress here as Ambassador."

Flathoof had grunted, but not said anything. An odd reaction. Did he disagree? Surely not. As Gray's husband he would most certainly be more aware than anypony how much of a lackadaisical layabout Gray was.

"Look, Dawn, if'n y'all don't mind, you're distractin' me somethin' fierce," Applejack then said before turning back to whatever it was she'd been doing before. "Maybe another time."

"Very well, another time then."

Dawn had then sought out Rarity, finding her in the city's fashion district. She was accompanied oddly enough by a zebra mare. Dawn had never met a zebra before, so she very much was looking forward to having the opportunity to have a conversation with the two. It would be like killing two birds with one stone: information obtained from Rarity as to what may have transpired during her stay here during the sandstorm, and a chance to converse with a zebra.

"Dawn, dear, you'll simply have to forgive us," Rarity had said, not at all stopping her pace along the sidewalk. "My darling friend Zyra and I are going gift shopping you see, and I simply cannot allow you to accompany us, as you may just spoil the surprise."

Dawn had scoffed at that. "Preposterous. I am well-acquainted with the importance of keeping secrets. Whoever is to receive this gift would never learn about it from me."

"Oh, but what if the gift is for you? Then you would ruin your own surprise, would you not?"

"Hmm. No, that is a logical conclusion. Perhaps afterwards—"

"Oh goodness no, dear, we're going to be shopping for quite a while," Rarity tutted, nose in the air. "I simply must pick out the perfect gift, and that will take me some time if I'm to do so discreetly enough that whomever is to receive the gift does not become aware of it before I deliver it."

"Aha. Very well." Dawn tilted her head towards the zebra… Zyra? "You are Zyra, yes? I have never met a zebra before. Perhap I could partake in a conversation—"

Zyra shook her head firmly. "No."

"That… was a remarkably straightforward response. Why not?"

"Because I don't want to, mostly." She tilted her head towards Rarity. "And because I am accompanying Lady Rarity on her shopping trip. I cannot both converse with you and accompany her, and I would rather do the latter."

Dawn paused, confused momentarily by the "Lady" Rarity remark, then shook it off and nodded. "Yes, of course, that is another logical conclusion. Very well. Another time, perhaps?"

"If we have time, darling, we'll consider it," Rarity said as she dragged Zyra away. "But I've been oh-so dreadfully busy lately. I just don't know when I'll be able to find the time. Anyway, we simply must be going. Ta ta!"

Dawn watched them walk off. "Ta ta…? Hmm."

With that option exhausted, Dawn's next target was Fluttershy, who was quite conveniently located in the same place as Pinkie Pie, whom Dawn planned on seeking out afterwards anyway.

She found them both at the royal palace in one of the wings that had some sort of… "play" room? There were assorted toys and games all over the room, which the two mares were using to entertain Princess Bluebolt and Princess Fireglow, the daughter and son of Queen Blackburn.

Bluebolt had similar coloration to her mother, albeit with her father's golden eyes. Fireglow, on the other hoof, looked nothing like either parent, with a bright red coat and a golden blond mane. His eyes still resembled his father's, though. Both were dressed comfortably in airy, light outfits.

"Aha, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, how fortuitous that I should happen to locate the two of you within the same vicinity," she'd said. "As the saying goes, 'like killing two birds with one stone'."

Fluttershy frowned. "Please don't use that turn of phrase, Dawn."

"Hmm? Why not? Did I use it incorrectly? It was my understanding that this precise situation perfectly fits within the parameters appropriate for that particular idiom. It is a southern expression in which one successfully accomplishes two separate goals with one single action."

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. "I know what the saying means. I didn't ask you to explain it. I asked you not to use it."

"Oh. Hmm. Very well." Dawn shrugged and adjusted her glasses. "At any rate, I was hoping to have a conversation with the two of you in regards to any information you can provide me as to your trials and tribulations over the course of the past few weeks, or lack thereof. My sisters did not provide me with any such updates, and so I am seeking it directly from the source."

"Uh, well, we're kind of busy right now actually," said Pinkie, gesturing at the young Fireglow who was bouncing in her lap and giggling… quite loudly.

"I can see that, certainly, but surely you can still—"

"Nnnnope!" Pinkie then swept Fireglow up and danced about the room with Fireglow, earning more giggles and some clapping as well. "Too busy! Dancing with a little colt! Byyeeee!"

Dawn blinked and turned to Fluttershy, who wasn't actually doing anything immediately obvious with Bluebolt, just watching her fly about the ceiling. "Well, if Pinkie is too preoccupied—"

"I'm busy too, Dawn," Fluttershy said simply. "Sorry. Maybe some other time."

"But… but you are not in the midst of any sort of strenuous activity that would constitute a distraction."

"I guess I'm not."

"So… then you are not too busy?"

"Oh no, I'm definitely too busy. I have to keep an eye on Bluebolt just in case anything happens, hmm? Much too busy."

Dawn looked up to see that Bluebolt wasn't even actually flying around, just drawing artwork on the ceiling using some crayons. The art was atrocious. "I… but…" She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Very well. I do not understand much about the caretaking of youths, it seems, as I cannot see any reason why you cannot spare some attention."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," Fluttershy quipped, a hint of… something in her voice. Not anger, certainly; Fluttershy didn't get angry, that was something that anypony and everypony knew as a point of fact. Very strange; perhaps she had something stuck in her throat that was causing discomfort? A popcorn kernel, most likely, which were quite vexatious little annoyances.

With that, Dawn then… returned to her room, as she had no other individuals whom she could interview. She knew better than to attempt to get Queen Blackburn engaged in a private conversation just yet—the situation there was horribly delicate—and she was under no delusions that she could attempt the same with her husband King Lockwood and expect anything different. And with Winter, Twilight, and Rainbow off on the expedition, that left her with nothing.

The issue here was obvious, of course: everypony was just so preoccupied and concerned with the news of this world being in danger that they were stressed beyond belief. Clearly they were merely trying to distract themselves from the truth until an opportunity presented itself to give them something better to do.

After all, what other reason could they possibly have for not acquiescing to Dawn's requests?

*****

Twilight had been on an airship before, though apart from the very short trip from the Checkpoint to Hope's Point, the only airships she'd ever been on had been back at home, and those were… decidedly different from the ones in this world in pretty much every way. She'd been on a boat before, too—airships back home were basically just boats that could fly, but she meant a sea boat—but she'd never been on one that could travel underwater.

In fact, the last time she could remember being underwater for an extended period of time was when dealing with the Storm King's invasion. Those had been less than pleasant circumstances, even though the results ended up being enjoyable in the end. Traveling through the water under the ocean at depths that she knew should be crushing their vessel like a tin can was, well, exciting.

"How in the world does this ship survive being down here at this depth?" she'd asked relatively early on into their journey, looking out one of the large portside windows at the sandy ocean floor; she'd expected to see some kind of sea life, but there wasn't any.

The Comet Chaser's engineer, Copper Blaze, responded, "Are you asking for a super-detailed explanation, or are you asking that as like a real basic 'how does this work?' kinda deal? 'Cause I can totally do both. Or either."

Twilight gave Copper a big grin. "Oh, I'd love a detailed explanation."

"Radical. The Comet Chaser used to be one of the fleet's standard cargo ships, but as a part of the peace treaty agreements we all had to start converting our ships to new purposes. Captain Ember volunteered us for the new deep sea exploration program; Her Majesty figured that if we had the resources, we might as well start seeing what's down here, yeah?

"So, like all airships in the fleet, we're equipped with a shield system that protects against outside elements. These new shields are fully powered by the ship itself, rather than using the old Diffusion system." Copper held up her hoof. "Don't ask about it. I don't know how the gnarly old system worked, just that it did. And we don't use it anymore anyway. And Her Majesty doesn't want anypony talking about it.

"Anyway, the new shields still defend our ships against stuff like the Belt of Tranquility or most of the NPAF's airship-grade weapons, but they also protect us from water pressure down here under the sea and stuff. So… that's how the ship survives down here. Yup! Pretty rad, right?"

Twilight tilted her head. "That's the detailed explanation? I was expecting a detailed account of all the numerical data or something, like how many watts the shields require and what level of pressure they can handle."

Copper's eyes widened a bit. "Ohhh. Well, I can't give that information to you. That's, like, trade secret stuff, my dude. Princess dude."

Twilight sighed quietly, then smiled and nodded politely back. "Well, you at least gave me some kind of idea about what's going on." She looked back out the window. "Why aren't there any fish down here, though? Or any sea life at all, actually? There's no coral, or seaweed, or clams or crabs or oysters. Nothing. Just a bunch of sand and rocks."

"Oh, that's easy. The water out there's real gnarly and stuff, filled with like… well, not pollution, 'cause Hope's Point is really clean like that, but like…" Copper tapped her chin. "Y'know how there's this whole Wastelands thing goin' on up on the surface?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. I got a chance to see it for myself, and it certainly lives up to its name. It's like a mix of badlands and desert, but with none of the life you'd expect from either of those."

"Right right, same thing down here. It's like… an underwater Wasteland. Only at least there aren't any Gargantuans down here to try and tear you apart and stuff, heh. Imagine trying to dive out here and you've also gotta deal with mutant bug monsters. Totally bogus."

Twilight's mind drifted to Aculeata briefly, and she wondered how her new friend was doing. There was no gentle way that Twilight could think of for her to tell the Gargantuan queen that she was the last of her kind; Twilight didn't even know what the heck had happened that caused that in the first place. Apparently the other queens—ones who apparently hadn't changed like Aculeata had—went to war with each other and killed one another?

It was a horrifying thought.

Hopefully Aculeata's development meant that Twilight could figure out something to do so that maybe, just maybe, they would be able to keep her race alive. Maybe Aculeata and her future children wouldn't be the same Gargantuans that everypony knew and feared before, but that could only be a good thing, right? And if her theory was correct, if Acuelata really was developing into some sort of… proto-changeling, then maybe there was a chance.

Especially when—not if—she and her friends saved this world and brought Aculeata back to their Equestria. King Thorax might know something that could help.

"So there's really no life down here at all?" Twilight asked, her hoof on the glass of the port window.

Copper shook her head. "Not on the northside, no. Once you get to the other side of the Belt, though, yeah, you'll see life all over the place. Ooh, if you ever get a chance to visit Seaside, you've gotta try their seaweed rolls. They're righteous. My fave's got avocado and cucumber and this salty tofu stuff. I don't know what the heck 'cali' means, guess it's an old Seaside word or something? But mmhmm, totally rad."

Twilight blinked. "Seaweed rolls? You mean sushi?"

"Awww yeah, you know what I'm talking about, and you pronounced it right. Nice. You'll fit right in, dude. They don't like it when you pronounce it wrong."

"Right."

True to the word of Queen Blackburn, it took roughly a day for the Comet Chaser to make its way from Hope's Point to the edge of the Belt of Tranquility, which Twilight had only seen pictures of before, but came to understand that it was an equatorial storm that quite literally wrapped around the planet's entire equator, right where the magical energies of the north and south Beacons met.

To Twilight's genuine surprise and wonder, the storm wasn't just above the surface of the ocean, but below it as well. She could see the water in the distance churning with what looked like murky storm clouds and little flashes of light. From out here it resembled a massive wall that stretched all the way from the ocean floor up, up, up as far as the eye could see in the darkness of the depths.

"Why the heck did it take so long to get here?" Rainbow asked as she looked out the window at the edge of the storm. "I saw the map. This should've taken a few hours tops, less if you were flying really fast like me."

"Oh yeah, right on dude," Copper said with a grin. "But that's, like, air travel. We move a lot slower underwater, y'know? Water resistance is totally higher than wind resistance, plus there's all this gnarly pressure down here, and sea currents. If we move too fast, the shields have to work too hard to keep up with the ship."

"Huh. Yeah, alright, that makes sense."

The ship's ensign, Starlight Spark, looked out the window at the storm along with the others, pressing her nose right up against the glass. "Gee whiz, that storm's still spooky even down here. Spookier, even."

Rainbow snorted out a laugh. "Did you just say 'gee whiz'? How old are you, kid?"

"Twenty-one?" Spark replied, tilting her head.

"You're twenty-one and you still say 'gee whiz'?" Rainbow gestured at Sunspire, who was at the window on the opposite side of the ship. "That kid's like ten years old, and he doesn't say 'gee whiz'."

Spark scrunched up her nose and stamped a hoof on the floor. "I can say 'gee whiz' if I want to! You're not my supervisor!"

"Are we really going into that storm to find the ruins?" asked Hourglass, who was standing next to Sunspire. "Not to sound like a ninny, but that doesn't look safe. At all."

"Safe?" Copper snorted. "Who ever said anything about being safe, my dude? The Belt's not even safe on the surface. That's why we've got these rad shields and stuff, yeah? Don't you worry though, the Comet Chaser can totally take it. Captain Ember's gonna take us in, and she wouldn't do that if she didn't think we'd all get back out okay, okay?"

Speaking of which, Twilight decided that now was a good time to head up into the ship's cockpit to speak with the captain, and with Winter, who had spent most of the trip so far up in the cockpit rather than here in the main cabin. Twilight didn't mind; it was only logical that one of the members of the expedition team should be up with the captain to observe things from her perspective, and Winter was probably the most practical choice.

The cockpit was loaded with all sorts of gadgets and technological devices that Twilight didn't know the purposes of, but she was able to restrain herself from asking about each and every one if only because she'd done a little bit of pre-flight—pre-dive?—reading from a technical manual to get a basic idea.

The real draw was from Captain Ember herself, as the pegasus mare was locked into a glass cylinder in the center of the cockpit area. Her wings had been coated in a black, oily substance that resembled latex, and the cylinder was filled with water; the captain was wearing a breathing apparatus and goggles, obviously. Whenever the captain shifted her wings, the ship itself shifted its fins to match her movements.

The system worked similarly if the ship were in open air instead, only without the water and need for breathing gear. Air would be funneled into the chamber in that case, shifted in such a way that it would reflect wind conditions outside the ship and allow the pilot to obtain proper lift. It was remarkably simple, yet elegant, and a brilliant method to allow the airships to fly with the precision of an actual pegasus.

According to a book Twilight had read at the Checkpoint, the New Pandemonium ships operated more like the flying boats she was accustomed to, albeit more sophisticated than anything back home. But that was the extent that Twilight knew about them.

Winter was standing near the forward viewscreen—it wasn't an actual window, but a monitor linked to cameras on the ship's exterior—watching as the Comet Chaser steadily approached the underwater storm. The terrain below was no longer broken shelves, but legitimate sea floor, dark and deep.

She turned briefly, apparently having heard Twilight's hoofsteps on the metal floor, and nodded at Twilight with a tiny hint of a grin on her lips. "Come to check up on us?" she asked, turning her attention back to the viewscreen.

"Not really. I came up here more because I'm interested in seeing what it all looks like from this angle," Twilight replied.

Winter nodded quietly to herself, then glanced up at Twilight again. "Your neck's gotta be killing ya, mate. How're ya holdin' up?"

"Oh, I've been better."

Winter was referring to the fact that Twilight had to stand slightly hunched over to fit through most of the ship's corridors outside of the passenger area, and even then she couldn't look up without having her horn scrape against the ceiling. Twilight's response was about the nicest way she could put into words just how uncomfortable she was; what she really wanted to say was that being so tall was a mixed-bag, but that seemed inappropriate to say to somepony so… short.

"We're getting ready to enter into the Belt," announced Captain Ember—the apparatus allowed her to speak and communicate normally with the crew while still breathing air. "I know this is the first time anypony here's ever seen the Belt from this angle. Go on, gimme your thoughts."

"It looks just like any old storm I've ever seen before, minus the weird colors of the lightning," said Twilight, tilting her head more to get a crick out of her neck than to get a better view. "Which is weird since we're, y'know, underwater."

"Have you ever seen it up close on the surface?"

"Just pictures, that's it. So I guess this is my first time seeing the Belt in person at all."

"It's a helluva lot different down here than up top," Winter said, her gaze still transfixed forward. "Like ya said, it looks like any old storm should look. I'm guessin' it's not quite as potent down here as it is up there?"

"And you'd be right," Ember said with a nod.

"Makes ya wonder why nopony ever thought to try and dive under it before now."

"Wellll, I do say less dangerous, not undangerous. Underwater turbulence isn't exactly a walk in the park, and we still have to deal with lightning strikes, even if not as frequently. No fire cyclones though." Ember shook her head; Twilight noticed the viewscreen mimicking the motion. "But then again, it's dark down here, and the depth pressure is constantly pushing on the shields."

"Ah. Yeah, that could make it difficult." Winter shrugged. "Oh well, wishful thinkin'."

Ember then rolled her shoulders and spoke into the intercom system: "Okay everypony, heads up. I'm taking the Comet Chaser into the Belt now, so you may feel a slight sensation of discomfort as we make our way into and through the storm itself. I would highly recommend taking your seats and fastening your seatbelts until I provide the all-clear."

She turned to Winter and Twilight. "You two don't need to worry. The cockpit is gyroscopically-balanced. You won't feel a thing, though you might notice a few warnings here and there. Not to worry; all perfectly normal."

Once she finished with her announcement, Ember tilted her wings forward more sharply and the Comet Chaser sped forward straight towards the storm.

Twilight noticed the change almost immediately, though as promised she didn't feel a thing. Multiple instrument panels lit up with varying yellow, orange, and red lights, and the cockpit itself filled with an orangish-red glow punctuated by a somewhat mild warning klaxon. If not for all of the signs of danger all around her, Twilight might have been able to say this was a deceptively calm experience.

The viewscreen told a different story entirely. The current under the sea whipped about in such a way that Twilight was almost certain that there wasn't just a single current down here, but multiple, all of which criss-crossed at random. The only evidence that the water wasn't perfectly still and calm was the sheer abundance of sand particles whipping about in every direction.

The Comet Chaser's spotlight wasn't the only light source down here anymore, either, as streaks of lightning—underwater lightning—shot to-and-fro in both the distance and relatively close by. Some of the bolts would streak by close enough to actually strike the ship, causing the subtle, almost invisible golden glow of the energy shields to flare up in response.

The blatantly physics-defying aspects of it all boggled Twilight's mind; nothing she was seeing here should have been possible. Even the most powerful of unicorns didn't have the magical fortitude to break the laws of nature so completely. If she had ever actually needed proof that the Beacons and thus this world's alicorns were powerful, so much so that they were possibly in a league above even Celestia and Luna, then this was it.

And despite all that… the Comet Chaser was able to pass through it with what seemed like only a minimum of effort. That itself was all the proof Twilight needed that the technology of this world could potentially surpass magic someday as the dominant source of power a pony could have, if it hadn't already. What would that mean when these ponies eventually had to migrate to her Equestria? An intriguing thought indeed.

The casualness with which Captain Ember was able to approach the ordeal—the mare was humming—was such that she barely even reacted when everything went back to normal an hour later; she didn't even so much as breathe a sigh of relief.

"Okay, we're through the edge of the storm and inside one of the eyes now," the captain announced. With a sidelong look at Twilight, she added, "For the record, there aren't any eyes on the surface level, so this was a pleasant little discovery we found the other day."

"You mean the waters here are actually calm?" Twilight asked, looking out the viewscreen at the darkness of the ocean and seeing no signs of tumultuous activity.

"Yes and no. It's calmer here, where we're currently located," Ember said. "But we found out that there are more than one eye out here, and everything else is storm, storm, and more storm. They're just like the eye of an actual hurricane, only there're so many of them that it feels like the Belt is basically just a whole bunch of hurricanes smashed together. It's weird."

"I'll say it is. That sounds physically impossible. Surely the storms would merge together into one single hurricane, right?"

"Apparently not, and hey, if you think that's weird, the eyes don't even move. They're easily-mappable safe spots, at least from the data we collected." Ember gestured forward with her hoof without adjusting her wings. "Now, we're gonna be moving through this storm's eye a little ways to the southwest, then we end up popping back into the storm for a few hours again as we make our way to the next one, and so on."

"And when do we reach the ruins ya found down here?" Winter asked.

"Our estimates put us at the initial discovery point in thirteen hours, but that was just an outlier. The main bulk of our discovery is about sixteen hours out from here, and we're supposed to be trying to go further out and deeper down than that."

"Right, we need to find a section of the city that's intact enough that we can perform some sort of archaeological examination," Twilight said with a nod. "Ideally we would find an intact section of the actual continent that sank down here so that we'd potentially have an air pocket."

"We didn't find anything like that on our last trip, but with a few more eyes looking around maybe we'll get lucky," said Ember with a smile. "If you two wanna stay up here, you're welcome to, but Ensign Spark should be getting meal prep done for lunch within the hour if you wanted to head down to the passenger lounge."

Twilight stuck around for a little bit to chat with Ember and Winter about the nature of this undersea phenomenon—the ramifications of the Belt of Tranquility's existence still shocked Twilight to her core—but eventually she headed down to the passenger area to spend some time with the others during lunch.

Lunch was nothing special, of course. Because the Comet Chaser was an exploration vessel, not a luxury liner or a personal transport, the meals were designed to be neat, compact, and quick and easy to prepare with minimal power.

Ensign Spark served everypony a partitioned plate with one serving each of three different kinds of… stew? It wasn't liquidy enough to be soup, but it wasn't solid enough to be a loaf or a hunk, and it wasn't unsightly enough to call it slop or a blob. More like a porridge, maybe, or some kind of thick oatmeal, but made of other kinds of foods.

The largest… portion consisted of vegetables—Twilight could taste carrots, celery, and peas—in some kind of mushroom-based gravy. The next largest was a bizarre mixture of corn, green beans, and mashed potatoes. The smallest was pretty much just a serving of chocolate pudding and tapioca mixed together. It all tasted real, of course, not like the synthetic Dolor stuff they made in New Pandemonium, but it was all so… odd.

It wasn't bad, actually. Just odd.

Sometime after lunch, though, Twilight headed back up into the cockpit to observe things with Winter and Captain Ember again. Hours had passed and there were still more hours yet to come before the ship would even come across the slightest hint of evidence.

Twilight wasn't bored, of course. Having never been down this far below the ocean surface, and not having done so within the safety of an armored vessel like this, she found it fascinating to at least take in all the other sights… or lack thereof. It was so dark down here through all the murkiness that aside from the Comet Chaser's searchlight and the distant sparks of lightning within the storm outside the eyes, there really wasn't anything to see—

Twilight was absolutely, without a doubt certain that she'd seen movement ahead. It was only for a brief moment, barely a second, but she'd seen it. "Did anypony else see that?" she asked, stepping towards the viewscreen to see if she could catch another glimpse.

"See what?" asked Winter, now looking at where Twilight was looking.

Twilight pointed at the screen. "I swear I saw movement just— There it is again! It's bigger this time, don't tell me that you can't see it!"

Ember flicked the ship's spotlight in that direction. "I didn't see anyth—"

The trio of mares let out a collective gasp. Twilight had indeed seen movement, as the light had reflected off of the scales of some sort of huge serpent that had been quickly moving off into the darkness. But then the spotlight had gotten its attention, so now it was coming towards them. And it moved fast.

"What the hell is that?!" Winter blurted, staggering back and running right into Twilight.

"Brace yourselves!" shouted Ember.

The huge serpent opened up its massive jaws and snapped down onto the Comet Chaser, but luckily the shields took the entirety of the impact, flaring up gold in the process. Instead of latching onto its prey, the creature just slid right off, unable to get a grip onto what was essentially an immaterial object, or more like squeezing too hard onto a bar of soap.

Confused but not disheartened, the creature swam off into the darkness again, but Ember kept the spotlight on it so that it was easy to follow; it was definitely coming back for another pass. Ember tilted her wings to try and evade, but the Comet Chaser was not an agile ship by any means.

Copper rushed up into the cockpit room just as the serpent tried to bite down again, and again couldn't find purchase. "Whoa, Cap, we're getting some gnarly turb—" She saw the sea serpent sliding off again and swimming into the darkness. "Whoooaa! What was that?!"

"I don't know, but we sure pissed it off!" grunted Ember. "Let's see if we can convince it we're not on the menu!"

Copper immediately hustled over to one of the stations on the main panel and tapped a few buttons. "Roger that, Cap. I think the mining laser oughta do the trick."

"Minimal power, please? I don't wanna kill it, just scare it off."

The serpent swept around again, this time trying to sink its giant fangs into the side of the Comet Chaser. Twilight saw Copper use a joystick to aim a camera on her monitor right at the beast's underbelly, then hold down a trigger; a laser beam fired out of whatever device the camera was attached to, striking the serpent.

Steam swiftly rose up from the impact point and along the laser's path, and the beast let out a hideous screech that everypony inside the ship would be able to hear. It seemed to do the trick well enough, because the serpent ceased its attempt to chomp down on the Comet Chaser's shielded hull and swam back off into the darkness. It didn't look like it was coming back, either.

"That's right, get outta here!" Copper called off after the beast. She then turned to Captain Ember and pumped her hoof. "That was bitchin', Cap! I didn't know anything even lived down here!"

"Yeah, you said nothing could live down here," Twilight said, giving Copper a curious look. "I thought the waters were all tainted and polluted?"

"Oh, naw bro, Princess bro. Remember, that's just on the north side of the Belt. We're inside the Belt now. The water down here's not polluted, just super magically-charged and stuff." She clapped her hooves together. "Aww, dude, they're gonna be so stoked that we found a sea monster down here! Righteous!"

"Is that what we're going with?" Twilight asked, looking meaningfully at Captain Ember. "Just 'sea monster'?"

"Unless you've got more specific information that we don't know about, that's what we're gonna use for now, yeah," Ember said with a breath and a nod. "We sure didn't see one of those on the last trip here. Good thing too; we only installed the mining laser for this trip since we thought we might need it to open up a path."

"You don't normally travel with means of defending yourselves?"

"Against what?" Ember retorted. "Until just now nopony even thought there was anything down here, and nopony down south has ever reported about sea monsters either. Congratulations, Princess Twilight: you were here when we discovered a totally new lifeform. A hungry, nightmarish lifeform with lots of teeth. Fun!"

"Yay," grunted Winter, finally pulling herself up and away from Twilight; Twilight had nearly forgotten that Winter was still there right up against her legs like that. "So now I've got to worry about fuckin' sea monsters too while we're all down here in the deep, dark depths surrounded by the most powerful magical phenomenon known to ponykind."

"At least it didn't get through the shields," Ember said, rolling her shoulders. "A hull breach down here would be… uh, pretty bad. I don't know if that thing could pierce the hull, and I'd rather not find out either."

"I wonder what it was even doing here," Twilight murmured, stepping closer to the viewscreen and looking off in the direction it had fled. Nothing but darkness, still. "Did you see the way it was moving before it spotted us?"

"Can't say that I did, no."

"I'm no expert in zoology or anything, but it was definitely moving too fast to just be swimming from place to place. Animals don't put that much effort into moving, otherwise they tire themselves out. A predator like, say, a cheetah, would only move at that kind of speed if it was chasing prey, or running away from something."

"So, either that thing was chasing something else, or something else was chasing it?" asked Copper, eyes wide. "Whoa, gnarly. I don't wanna think about what kind of thing could be a predator to something that big."

Winter turned her head up to glare at Twilight. "Yes, thank you so much for puttin' that thought in my head, Twilight. Now I have to think about whether there are more big fuckin' serpents and monsters down here. Wonderful. Terrific. Just bloody fantastic."

"Are you scared, bro?" asked Copper, her tone and expression sympathetic even though her words didn't really do a good job of indicating that.

"There's a difference between 'scared' and 'concerned', mate. I'm concerned that we're in enough danger as it is down here in this fuckin' tin can surrounded by an entire ocean's worth of pressure, so we sure as fuck didn't need to add bloody sea monsters into the mix."

"Well then, let's hope that that thing was just chasing something else, something much smaller and not at all dangerous, hmm?" suggested Ember. "Why don't you head down to the passenger cabin and rest a bit, Miss Glow. It'll do you good."

Winter grumbled something under her breath then stormed off towards the aforementioned passenger cabin. "You got any booze on this rust bucket?!" she shouted before she got too far.

"This is a dry ship!" Ember called back. "We liquor up in port, not while on the job!"

Twilight heard more grumbling, the sound of Winter kicking something, then more grumbling as Winter stormed off again. She sighed and shook her head; Winter really needed to find a better way to relax than drinking alcohol. Twilight was growing concerned with how much of the stuff Winter consumed on just a regular basis, not to mention flare-ups like this might have led to.

But she was in no place to try and convince Winter of anything, and this wasn't the time to do it anyway. So she turned back to the viewscreen, watching Copper head off back towards the passenger cabin as well now that her job was done, and she focused herself entirely on looking off into the distance for any more signs of danger.

*****

Curaçao had long since grown accustomed to taking on Dawn's role in New Pandemonium City, and in more ways than one at that. Her shapeshifting abilities allowed her to take on the form of any pony, within reason, and it wasn't uncommon for her to take on Dawn's form to pretend to be her for some particular task when Dawn was otherwise preoccupied.

Tonight was no exception. She'd requested an evening meeting with the Committee so that Dawn would have plenty of time to get out of the city and situate herself in Hope's Point enough that she wouldn't suddenly pop back home for some unexpected reason, and also late enough that the entire Committee—herself included—had time for dinner before they had to report in.

She sat in Dawn's office in Dawn's chair at Dawn's desk in front of Dawn's computer, none of which had been changed whatsoever since they belonged to their father. Apart from the scorch mark on the desk, of course, which was a new addition courtesy of a particularly… agitated Havoc shortly before the sandstorm had reared its ugly head. Since she was in Dawn's body she didn't even need to adjust the seat to be comfortable, an amusing benefit of her power set.

As usual, the windows on the screen winked on as the members of the Committee answered the conference call, though Curaçao noticed something—somepony—new: a brown-coated unicorn stallion with a sturdy jaw and an orange mane tinged with gold, which he kept in a neat little ponytail. His image was currently occupying the spot normally taken by Taskmaster Concrete Girder.

Which meant that he was the Taskmaster's stand-in, obviously.

Luckily, the other members of the Committee noticed as well, so this was actually a new development, not just something that Dawn had neglected to mention. "Who are you?" asked Admiral Jetstream first, slouching slightly in his seat. "This is supposed to be a private conference call."

"Sorry, sorry everypony," the mystery stallion said, his tone pleasantly mild. "I'm supposed to be serving as Taskmaster Concrete's stand-in for all Committee proceedings. I guess his notification hasn't made the rounds yet. I could've sworn he said he was going to send it immediately after dinner."

"Ah, there's your problem," quipped Champagne Diamond. "He's probably still eating dinner. I don't think the words 'after dinner' mean anything to him without the word 'mint' right after them."

Curaçao-as-Dawn adjusted her glasses—it was a spare pair that Dawn kept in her desk almost exclusively for Curaçao's use. "It is customary protocol for an official stand-in to introduce themselves with proper expedience. If you would kindly do so now, we can proceed with this meeting rather than waste time with asinine questions and juvenile insults."

"Right. Sorry again. My name's Jackhammer, Chief Engineer on the Silverlane Project."

"Ah, then you're the same Jackhammer that I've corresponded with over the years?" asked Champagne. At a few raised eyebrows, she clarified, "The Silverlane Project is an undertaking to expand the piping system beneath the city so that we can increase our fresh water stores. We voted on it… something like eight years ago? Wow, time flies, doesn't it?"

"I didn't know that we were still working on it," noted Treasurer Vendetta, stroking his chin. "Huh. Well, that explains why water stock prices have been so steady all this time. I've been wondering about that for a while."

"You say that Taskmaster Concrete assigned you as his stand-in?" asked Secretary Quill.

"That's right," said Jackhammer. "I've been the Chief Engineer on more projects for Concrete in the past twenty years than anypony else in his employ, so I guess he trusts me not to screw things up. Silverlane is just the biggest endeavor at the moment so it's my lead project."

"That is acceptable. Are you aware of the responsibilities of the role?"

"Yeah, pretty simple stuff. I'm just here to observe, report in, and offer opinions and debates in the Taskmaster's stead, but I still have to bring details to him if there's gonna be a vote where he needs to break a tie."

Curaçao-as-Dawn nodded firmly. "Exactly. You may participate in these proceedings, but technically you do not have a voice; your voice is that of the Taskmaster's, not your own, and you will not be permitted to state your opinions unless specifically consulted. You are a privileged observer, nothing more. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, ma'am. Doesn't bother me any. I was never cut out for politics, otherwise maybe I'd be the Taskmaster instead, huh?"

"Hmm, quite."

Curaçao then began the proper procedures to start off the meeting, as she had been the one to call for it and as such it was her responsibility to do so. Once the necessary minutiae were out of the way, she then immediately proceeded into the purpose of the meeting:

"With the peace summit with Hope's Point delayed momentarily, we have entered into an unfortunate, precarious position politically," she started. "Her Majesty Queen Blackburn is understandably enraged, and it is only by sheer happenstance, some unexplained change of heart, that she has agreed to merely 'hold off' on the proceedings for the time being.

"If and when the peace summit is rescheduled, Hope's Point will most certainly have additional demands in place, reparations for the events that transpired in which the royal family was ambushed and attacked by a rogue faction within the NPAF. Hunting these insurgents is still a priority, which is still under the jurisdiction of Admiral Jetstream and Director Underhoof; hopefully soon they will be suitably dealt with."

Curaçao then took a short breath before continuing. "With this in mind, we must be prepared to make additional concessions in the peace proceedings, and as such it is best if we are not caught inattentive moving forward. We require additional bargaining chips to bring to the table." She then gestured to Champagne. "Chairpony Champagne, if you would present the offer to the Committee as you presented it to me?"

Champagne nodded and cleared her throat. "The name of the game here folks is resources. Now, the Wastelands are named that for a reason: there's nothing out there but pure shit. We already have mining agreements in place to mine Goldridge, and those are non-negotiable. Everything under our city is ours, and everything south of the coast is Hope's Point's. So, what does that leave us?"

"All that's left is Redblade," said Vendetta, steepling his hooves. "I see where you're going with this, Champagne, and I'll say it before anypony else does: that plan is crazy. We can't set up a strip-mining operation in the volcanoes. Your department doesn't have the money, even if I agreed to triple your budget."

"Ah, but the NPAF budget is already quadruple my own," Champagne said, touching up her mane. "And they already have an abundance of materials that would come in handy with this little project I had in mind."

Quill tilted his head far to the side. "Surely you can't be serious? The NPAF doesn't have the equipment to build any sort of practical base of operations out there."

"Oh yes they do." Champagne fluttered her eyelashes at Jetstream. "Go on, tell them what you told me."

Jetstream nodded. "With the proper application of our shielding technology, it is theoretically possible to maintain a safe haven within the volcanic region. It would not be particularly large, and workers would still be required to wear extensive and expensive protective gear, but it is doable."

"And what sort of timeframe do you anticipate?" huffed Vendetta. "This Committee's been attempting to set up a mining base in Redblade for the past century. It just doesn't work. We don't have the numbers or the technology."

"The AMP Troopers would suffice for both," Jetstream said with a little grin. "It's not a perfect solution, but they are cheap and easy to produce, enough that we can easily replace them if needed, and they can be easily repurposed for mining. With the fleet dismantling proceeding faster than ever, we have an excess of AMPs that are just sitting around in warehouses with nothing to do."

Vendetta stroked his chin again. "Hmm. A single AMP trooper is cheaper than the average salary of a mining engineer, and they won't ask for hazard pay, and we avoid the potentiality of lawsuits over injuries and deaths. Makes you wonder why we never thought of this before…"

"The simple explanation is that the NPAF budget has been solely dedicated to purely military purposes until the most recent few years, where they have been able to branch out into assisting with law enforcement," said Curaçao-as-Dawn, adjusting her glasses. "In other words, because the peace summit has allowed us to repurpose our military, we can capitalize on new money-making opportunities."

Vendetta's grin widened in a predatory smile. "Ah, il mio bel girasole, you have no idea how much I love it when you talk dirty."

Curaçao had to fight the urge to vomit. It was bad enough that this loathsome creature constantly flirted with Dawn, but did he have to be so sleazy about it? She wanted to chastise her sister for nearly killing him a month ago in a fit of rage. Nearly killing. Dawn should've finished the job.

"Essentially," interjected Champagne, "the plan would be to establish a base camp at the edge of the Redblade Mountains first that would be operated by NPAF troops so as to protect our claim from potential threats—giant bugs, raiders, whatever—while the AMPs scout the volcanic region to find the richest deposits possible."

"What exactly would they be looking for?" asked Quill.

"The Redblade Mountains have a high iron content, but it's not the same kind of iron that we mine for under the city. This iron has a high concentration of magical energy, which could potentially increase its strength and durability, either by itself or as an alloy."

"Durasteel made from that stuff could certainly provide a lot of protection," noted Jetstream.

"If there are no further questions, I believe that the case has been presented and we can proceed to a vote?" Curaçao-as-Dawn suggested.

The Committee agreed, and the votes were cast. Since Taskmaster Concrete could not vote unless there was a tie, there were only six votes to count; all six were in favor. Curaçao knew she didn't even need to bother listening to their reasoning or worry about a possible tie. Champagne and Jetstream were openly proposing the idea and would naturally support it without suspicion; Blutsager, loyal to the family, would vote in favor without question and justify it as a logical decision.

And of course, there was no way Vendetta wouldn't vote in favor of it, not when he knew that he could use this insider knowledge to invest his wealth in the proper channels and make more money than anypony would know what to do with. He didn't even hide it, for that matter, noting that he was going to invest in the city's AMP production and the iron and steel sectors. If all went well, he'd make a mint by the end of the year.

It just took some subtle manipulation. Or not-subtle, depending on how one looked at it.

Of course, none of them—not even Blutsauger, Champagne, or Jetstream—knew about the changes coming to the world very, very soon. Curaçao had made the decision, against Dawn's disagreement, to keep the information that Winter had given them a secret from everypony.

It was easy to justify hiding it from the public—nopony wanted chaos in the streets; it wasn't as easy to justify hiding it from the Committee—their resources could prove useful; it was hard to justify hiding it from Velvet and Insipid for now, though, mostly to herself.

With Insipid it was obvious: she was too much in the public eye and even the tiniest slip-up would spell disaster. It was the same reason she didn't tell the Committee, since any change in their behavior might arouse suspicion and lead to the truth. With Velvet, it was just a matter of not wanting to saddle her with more potential emotional trauma after everything she'd been through with Caramel, not so soon.

Other than that, Curaçao still had a good reason for it, a very good reason, but she didn't speak it aloud, not to Raspberry, not to Dawn, not to anypony; she barely even allowed herself to think about it, keeping it in her subconscious on purpose even now so that she wouldn't even give somepony a reason to suspect that she has suspicions. The only pony she knew she could tell was ironically her father; it was ironic because he was the only pony she literally couldn't tell.

Information was power, after all, and if there was information that only she knew, that only she suspected, then she held all the cards. And right now, she had a feeling, a very bad feeling, that she needed to hold onto just that one trump card: the fact she suspected something that nopony else did.

Everything would depend on it.

Dawn's computer then beeped with an incoming call from… ugh, Treasurer Vendetta. Curaçao groaned quietly to herself, then took a breath and answered the call. "Treasurer," she greeted as Vendetta's image appeared on her screen. "I was not anticipating a private call at this juncture. What business do you have with me?"

Vendetta grinned slightly. "I'll keep it simple, il mio girasole. I know that it is getting late, but I was wondering if you would join me for a drink and some dessert while we discuss these new ventures we're taking. I have some ideas that might be interesting to you."

Curaçao-as-Dawn grunted. "Treasurer Vendetta, I cannot fathom why you would believe that I would ever deign to engage in a private conversation with you outside of my office ever again. Our last encounter did not end on pleasant terms."

"Oh, on the contrary, I was quite pleased with our last encounter. Granted, I had to spend a few thousand bits making repairs, but it was a small price to pay to see the fire you have inside you, even for a brief instant."

"Be that as it may—"

He held up his hooves. "If it makes it more agreeable to you, might I remind you that our private conversations are all automatically recorded when carried out over this connection?"

Curaçao ground her teeth together briefly, then perked up and nodded, a sudden wave of self-satisfaction flowing through her. "Very well, your point has been made. Provide me with a location and I will be there in thirty minutes."

"Meraviglioso! You will not be disappointed, my dear," Vendetta replied with a smile.

*****

Curaçao arrived at the provided location exactly thirty minutes after Vendetta had provided it to her. It was a smaller Baroque restaurant in the eastern Baroque District, one which she knew Vendetta owned and which was well-known for its world-class pizza and its intimate atmosphere. It had a reputation as a premier location to bring somepony out for a date, which was no surprise at all.

Vendetta was obviously relying entirely on Dawn's lack of awareness of social norms to subconsciously influence her. It was clever, but sleazy.

Now, Curaçao did not arrive here as Dawn, of course, but as herself, dressed up in an appropriately fancy cocktail dress—black, naturally—accompanied by an evening clutch, the only part of her ensemble that wasn't influenced by her shapeshifting magic. Her mane had been all done up in a luscious ponytail, and her tail was kept pleasantly short to compliment the dress.

She always looked her best, after all; to do anything less was just lazy.

There were two burly-looking earth ponies at the door, dressed in nice suits and looking every bit like a couple of regular goons that worked for Vendetta's crime family; the Treasurer wasn't filthy rich just because of his good business sense, after all, and his criminal connections were practically an open secret.

Curaçao made a show of walking past the two with a purposeful swagger in her hips, then "accidentally" dropped her purse in such a way that its contents—mostly make-up products and a few prophylactics she didn't need—spilled onto the sidewalk.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed with the perfect inflection to draw their attention. She then made a show of bending over to start picking everything up.

Naturally, it worked like a charm, as the two bruisers stepped over and started helping her pick things up. One of the two gave her a coy smirk. "You, uh, alright there dollface?" he asked. "Need a hoof? Maybe two?"

"Oh, no, I'm just fine, thanks," she responded with a small smile of her own.

"Yeah you are," quipped the other goon, who had a couple of the prophylactics in his hoof. "You lookin' for a good time tonight, sweetheart?"

Curaçao grinned again and looked between the two. "Do you know what I love about stallions like you?" she asked. "It's that you actually think you're being nice and friendly to mares when you do this stuff. You wouldn't even dream of hitting a mare, because you think we're weak and need a big, strong stallion to save us. I bet that I could do this—"

She cracked her hoof into the temple of the left stallion hard enough to knock him out cold. Proper application of force to the proper area with the proper follow-through did wonders, and it didn't hurt that beneath her soft, sensual-looking exterior were muscles that she'd trained for years.

"—and you wouldn't even lay a hoof on me," she finished, looking at the other stallion.

Said other stallion looked at his fallen comrade, then back to her, holding up a hoof. "Whoa whoa, listen girlie—"

She struck him first in the throat, then followed it up with an uppercut while he was grasping for the impact point. Out like a light, so they said. She then smoothed out her dress and let out a breath. "'Girlie'… hmph. Tu l'as mérité, mon ami."

Curaçao then stepped in through the door of the establishment, which was utterly empty of any ponies except for herself, a single bartender at the bar, and Treasurer Vendetta seated at a single table at the center of the room. She assumed that there was a cook in the kitchen too, of course, but he wasn't out here.

Vendetta stopped sipping his drink immediately after Curaçao caught his eye; Curaçao wished that she had a camera on her at the moment to capture the bewilderment and anxiousness on his face at the moment. He didn't say a word to her as she approached the bar, either, just watched.

"Amico mio, per favore chiama un ambulanza per i due stalloni fuori," she said in a perfect Baroque accent to the bartender. "Oh, e potresti farmi un Barolo Chinato, per favore? Grazie."

The bartender glanced towards Vendetta rather awkwardly, and the Treasurer gave him a short nod. "Subito, signora." He then swiftly made the drink and brought it to the table just as Curaçao was approaching it.

But Curaçao did not sit down just yet, she just stared at Vendetta, who remained seated and stared right back at her. "Aren't you going to invite me to sit, Treasurer?" she asked coyly, a light grin on her face. "It's rude to keep a lady waiting, non?"

Vendetta stared for a moment longer, then took a sip of his amaretto, stood, and gestured for her to take a seat. "If you would care to join me, of course."

"Merci." She patiently waited as the bartender pulled out her chair for her before heading off to make that phone call, then took her drink in hoof but didn't drink just yet.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening, Spymaster Curaçao?" Vendetta asked, his tone an even mix of polite and curious. "I do not recall inviting you out for the evening."

"Oui, you did not invite me at all. But you did invite my sister, Shadow Associate Dawn, did you not? At least, that's what she told me you did. And as I monitor all of her incoming and outgoing calls these days, naturally I was inclined to believe her." Curaçao set her glass down and tilted her head as she glanced at Vendetta. "What I don't know is why."

Vendetta slowly took another sip of his drink. "I invited her here to discuss some business ideas I had in regards to the new development project we just approved."

"Ah, a perfectly normal business meeting, oui, over dessert and drinks in one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. I'm sure that you had no ulterior motives there at all, Treasurer, no secondary reason to invite my little sister to be alone with you in such a place."

"What sort of ulterior motive would there be—"

She held up her hoof. "Save it. I know what you're doing, Vendetta, and I have known it for a very long time. My sister may have taken a while to realize your intentions, but I am no fool. This—" She gestured out and around the restaurant. "—is the last time it will happen. There will be no more coy attempts at 'dates' with the Shadow Associate. Do I make myself clear?"

Vendetta smirked. "Or what, cagna? Let me guess: you'll kill me? You already threatened to feed me my own hooves years ago if I came anywhere near that lovely mare at that masquerade ball, so obviously she was important to you. Let me guess: fillyfriend? Tsk, certo che sei lesbica." He shook his head. "I imagine that you'd do something similar for your little sister."

"Oh, non, you misunderstand me, Treasurer. If you ever come near my sister again, I will end you. Not your life, mind, because death is too good for somepony like you." She smirked right back at him. "I will ensure that your entire empire crumbles to dust around you. That you watch your wealth slip through your hooves, day by day by day, until there is nothing left.

"I will destroy your businesses and your investments. I will ensure that you are considered toxic to investors and bankers across the city. I will tear the heart out of everything that you have built, and I will show it to you before I crush it beneath my hooves. And best of all, I will do it all legally, so that no insurance company will reimburse you for any losses.

"When I am done with you, you will wish that you were dead, because I will have taken everything away from you except your life. And then, only then, might I consider granting you what you want." She lifted her drink to him. "That is what I will do to you if you get near my sister ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

Vendetta stared back at her for a long moment, then smiled and lifted his glass to her in turn. "I like you, Spymaster. Very well, you have yourself a deal: I'll keep my distance from the Shadow Associate. Shall we drink to that?"

Curaçao clinked her glass against his, but did not drink. "We're in agreement, Treasurer, but I don't make it a habit of drinking drugged beverages." Before he could speak, she interjected, "Your signal to the bartender was not as subtle as you thought it was, and he is not as smooth at choosing a different glass to pour into as you think he is."

"Aha… well, I suppose you earned your title and position for a reason beyond just nepotism then, didn't you?"

"Were you planning on drugging Dawn, by the by?"

He paused, then shook his head. "No, never. You'll forgive me for my candor when I say that I wanted to earn the right to bed that beautiful sister of yours. There's no fun in taking away the challenge by using drugs. I know you think that I'm a sleazy piece of shit, Spymaster, but I do have standards."

"Hmph. Good answer. You're lucky that you're telling the truth." Curaçao then gestured at her glass. "Now, if your bartender could get me an actual Barolo Chinato, we can talk business."

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You called my sister here to discuss business, did you not? I happen to know that while you gave her a lousy pretense to get her to come here in person, you did honestly intend to discuss business with her. I appreciate that you mix business with pleasure so readily. She's not here at the moment, however, but I can bring everything that we discuss to her attention, non?"

"I… suppose that we can discuss business, sure." He cleared his throat, then signaled to the bartender to pour another drink—and his gestures clearly indicated that there would be no funny business this time—before turning back to her. "I don't suppose you'd, ah… want some dessert to go with it? I hear this place has the best tiramisu in the city."

Curaçao could only chuckle at the suggestion.

Chapter Eighteen: Regents

The town of Newhaven had been one of the most peculiar towns in all the southern continent for decades now. The majority of the town was just as it had been some fifty years ago, with its lush, rich farmland, its white beaches, its charming, rustic aesthetic, and the distinct sounds of the locals always engaging in some sort of party or festival replete with hooting and hollering and plenty of guitar. It was a popular vacation spot, little else.

When the city of Hope's Point established itself in the north, it did not take them long to make ties with the first coastal settlement they'd come into contact with. Everypony in Newhaven had been surprised, certainly, and that surprise had spread throughout the southern continent: there were still ponies in the north! And they'd made it across the sea!

While northern culture in general had gone uncared for by the majority of the south, Newhaven had embraced the new connection and allowed Hope's Point to build an "airport" here, which they used to dock their flying contraptions, for they did not use seafaring ships as the ponies of the south did. This of course meant that Newhaven was still a popular vacation spot, just for the north now as well.

Hope's Point had even established a political agreement with Newhaven's nobility and with the southern peacekeepers, the Harmony Guard, to ensure that Hope's Point would not interfere in political affairs of the south, but that they could defend Newhaven if it should ever be in danger. The airport was part of the town now, and they would defend their interests.

It was at this so-called airport that Lady Silverluck now found herself, her first time visiting it personally since it was first established. This was not her first experience with the ponies of Hope's Point, but it was her first time truly witnessing the strange marvels that they crafted from such a close perspective. Part of her was curious, another part of her frightened, but all-in-all she felt rather neutral about all this.

She currently waited in a comfortable leisure lounge overlooking one of the "hangar bays", as their assigned flying contraption would be docking within the next few minutes to take her and the other southern delegates north for a summit that Queen Blackburn had called for.

She could subtly check her reflection in the clean, reflective glass, ensuring that her gray coat was immaculate and that not a single hair was out of place in her silvery mane. She did need to adjust her gold tiara though; it had come askew and had been resting awkwardly against her horn.

Normally such a summit would have been considered beneath the southern nobility—Hope's Point stayed out of their affairs, and thus vice versa—but nopony wanted to ignore it when Her Majesty insisted that they'd found something that put the entire world at stake. Her Majesty had always given off an air of paranoia and control, but never panicky, so for her to insist that this was important meant that it probably was.

As she waited, Silverluck silently observed the other guests who were currently waiting in the lounge with her:

First was Lord Skycatcher, the head of House Sky and thus the ruling lord of Newhaven itself. His father, Lord Wondersky, had been relatively minor in the political scene fifty years ago, but then Hope's Point knocked on his door and now, fifty years later, their house was one of the strongest. It was quite a feat, the likes of which hadn't been seen in nearly one hundred years, when House Night made a big deal about their head of house being pregnant with a foal sired Harmonia's then Warden, Radiant Shield.

Scandalous.

Skycatcher himself was a handsome pegasus stallion, light blue in coat with purple mane and tail, and he'd even started growing a goatee in recent years. He wore a sash over his chest and shoulder, blue and gold and decorated with an orange pegasus rearing up, the coat of arms for House Sky.

Next was Lord Golden Shield, the head of House Golden and thus her father-in-law, as she was married to his third son, Goldenglow. Goldenglow had not inherited his father's good looks, unfortunately; Golden Shield was a stalwart, rugged earth pony stallion with a broad build, his coat a rich golden brown, his mane a golden blonde. His coat of arms—a white sword over a field of gold and purple—was emblazoned on his cloak.

Last was the zebra Ambassador Zultan of Zeb'ra'den, who had only been appointed to the position two months ago but who did his job well. He was young, of course, though a little older than Silverluck herself, and had retained his youthful good looks. His mane was tied into a long, thick ponytail that wrapped around his neck like a scarf, though he kept his tail short. All of this was kept under a thin cloak befitting his station and a set of light, comfortable furs.

There was no sign of the Ambassador's bodyguard, though. Supposedly Zultan was the only one who had brought anyone with him, as Hope's Point made a show that they would be providing personal guards and stewards to each of the delegates. Supposedly the Ambassador's guard was more well-acquainted with pony culture than he was, and was to help advise him. Odd, but then that was zebra culture for you. Silverluck wondered who it might be.

None of the delegates spoke much to one another now. There was no need, as they'd be doing plenty of that up north at the summit, and they'd already exchanged plenty of meaningless pleasantries earlier. Meaning of course that she'd mostly just been polite and courteous with the other lords, ensured Golden Shield that his son and grandson were in good health, and just generally made pleasant small talk that Silverluck generally hated.

She could tell that she wasn't exactly welcome, that her presence was being questioned at every moment, mostly by her father-in-law. She could see how Golden Shield silently judged the way she walked, the way she drank wine from her glass, the fact that her coat of arms—two white castles on a field of silver and blue—wasn't prominently displayed but rather subtly made as part of her tiara. He was a judgmental jackass, but then most lords were.

It wasn't that she wasn't good enough for his son, as even Golden Shield himself would admit, sometimes very openly, that it was the other way around. No, it was that she wasn't the head of her house; her father, Lord Silverhoof, had assigned her with this task rather than come himself. As such, she wanted to agree: she shouldn't be here. But her father trusted her with the task, and so she would carry it out. It was her duty as his heir.

Because she was nearest to the window, Silverluck was the first to see the flying contraption arrive at the hangar bay, flying over it and then descending slowly down while carried along by the strange glowing devices that granted it flight. Seconds later, a member of the port's staff arrived to inform the noble delegates that their transport had indeed arrived, and that they could embark immediately; their luggage was already being loaded.

"I reckon this is the first time any o' y'all ever been on an airship?" asked Skycatcher in his Newhaven drawl as the delegates followed the staff member down towards the hangar.

"This will be my first time, yes," Silverluck responded with a nod. "I've only ever seen these fanciful flying contraptions from a distance before. Never had much interest in them."

"They're mighty fine contraptions, if I do say so myself. Ain't quite the same as flyin' with my own two wings, no, but they sure do go faster'n any pegasus ever could."

"Dem machines don't sit too right wit' me personally," Golden Shield grunted, his rich baritone peppering every word in his thick Deepgrove accent; it was similar to Newhaven's in a few ways, but had its own flavor. "If Harmonia had wanted all us ponies to fly, she'd've given us all wings, mon ami."

"It's the way o' the future, Goldie," chuckled Skycatcher, patting the other lord's shoulder. "One o' these days our children's children oughta be makin' flyin' machines o' their own. My lil' Skylash is mighty interested, I tell ya what. Keeps talkin' bout wantin' ta fly one up so high she can touch the moons."

"Your daughter certainly has a lofty imagination," Silverluck said with a grin. "Perhaps a bit misguided, but then you have a different perspective."

"Well said, cher." Golden Shield shook his head. "T'ain't right, Catcher, lettin' yer kid get ideas in her head like dat." He turned his gaze over towards Zultan. "How 'bout you, Ambassador? You ever fly in one o' dem machines before? You think dey's wrong too, hmm?"

"Nay, Lord Golden, I hath never even been near one of these machines before," the zebra said; Silverluck was glad that the zebras as a whole had started relaxing their metered speech when speaking with ponies in recent years. "In fact, 'tis the first time I hath ever laid mine eyes upon one, even from a distance."

"Truly?" asked Silverluck. "I was under the impression that His and Her Majesty made annual visits to Zeb'ra'den? Surely you would have seen one of their flying machines during one of these trips?"

"Ah, regrettably not, My Lady, as much of my time was taken up with tutelage. This will also be my first time meeting the royal couple in person. Mine only correspondence with Her Majesty hath been via letter, when I didst informeth her of mine appointment, and she didst respond quite favorably."

"And that's why you're bringing this bodyguard of yours? He's met them?"

Zultan shook his head. "Nay, he hath not met them in person either, but he is more acquainted with ponies than I. He hath more experience in Utopia, more years to call upon for knowledge and expectations. I know that doth not make him more aware of northern culture, but 'tis still more than mine own experiences in any case."

"Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine, Ambassador," Silverluck said with a polite smile. She didn't know the new ambassador too well yet, but if he was anything like his predecessor, Zamindari, they could potentially have a good working relationship.

Before they reached the hangar, the delegates were intercepted by another zebra, no doubt the bodyguard that Ambassador Zultan was bringing along. Silverluck recognized him immediately as Sir Zircon, a well-regarded knight of Zeb'ra'den and a famous warrior and swordfighter. Even her son's sword instructor, Sir Stillwater, agreed that he was the… second best swordfighter on the continent. After himself, naturally; their rivalry was legendary.

Zircon was handsome even by pony standards in a rugged sort of way, with a broad frame and a strong chin. His mane was stylishly unkempt, as contradictory as that sounded; it was as though his mane just naturally looked like he didn't do anything with it but it always looked pleasant. He had a long, luxurious tail, however, as was customary of soldiers and warriors in their culture. And, as he always did, he wore a suit of leather armor made from the hides of frostwolves, dyed gold, all under a frostwolf fur cloak.

How he could stand to wear all that fur and leather in this southern summer heat was beyond Silverluck's understanding, but then she supposed he was properly prepared for the northern winter. None of them knew just how cold it might be up there, after all. He seemed to be handling the heat well enough for now; his under armor was surely drenched, though.

Zircon approached the group and immediately bowed, as was polite. "My Lords, My Lady."

This sufficed as a formal greeting, and none of the pony nobles needed to give him anything in return save for nods of acknowledgement, which they did, and he knew he need not say anything further; it was not his place to strike up conversation.

The airship that the delegates were to board had been given the name Lunar Spear, and it was supposedly considered the top of its class in luxury and comfort. The vessel was unlike anything that Silverluck had ever seen before, and up close she didn't know exactly what to make of it; how these Hope's Point "engineers" had managed to piece together such a thing was a mystery.

The shape was odd and didn't seem at all like any seafaring ship's, and the bizarre mechanisms were strange and alien to her. This contraption didn't seem like it should even be considered seaworthy, let alone able to fly. At least it had sensible colors, black with purple accents. Rather like House Night's livery, actually, which seemed appropriate given the vessel's name; she might correspond with Lady Stormy Night after the summit, as she might enjoy the tidbit.

The ship's captain came to greet them as they entered the hangar, or at least Silverluck assumed she was the captain since her outfit was appropriately formal, and since that was only proper manners. She didn't know much about Hope's Point but she did know a lot about Queen Blackburn, and she knew that her step-niece was not one to skimp on formality when it was appropriate.

"My Lords, My Lady," the mare greeted with a polite bow. "I'm Captain Licorice Whip of the Lunar Spear. On behalf of Hope's Point and Her Majesty Queen Blackburn, I welcome you all aboard my ship." She gestured with her wing towards the boarding ramp, which went up and inside the ship from below. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you all to our luxury passenger cabin."

The delegates followed wordlessly, as was expected, allowing the captain to give her spiel about all of the accommodations and amenities the ship offered, as was polite. As the fleet's most luxurious of luxury liners, it was equipped with everything that any passenger could need to enjoy themselves over the short six hour flight north to Hope's Point.

Silverluck was particularly impressed with that timeframe; taking a seafaring vessel just from the Northshore near Utopia to Seaside took about four days, and it was supposedly the same distance as Newhaven to Hope's Point.

Once the captain finished her spiel, she introduced the delegates to a younger stallion, one Ensign Jamboree, who would take care of all of their in-flight needs. "The Lunar Spear is your home away from home, so feel free to make yourselves as comfortable as you like." The captain finished with a salute. "We'll be departing in five minutes. I'll leave you all in the ensign's capable hooves."

The "ensign", as he was called, then showed the delegates briefly around the passenger cabin, which was of a pleasant size and had ample room for seating. Everyone was allowed to choose their own seats, and Silverluck strategically placed herself as far away from Golden Shield as possible while keeping close to the two zebras; she wanted to know Zultan a little better, and she was already acquainted with Zircon.

Everyone put in orders of food and drink from the provided menus, which served elegant snacks instead of full-course meals, which made sense given the short time they would be in the air. They even had tiramisu, her favorite, because of course Queen Blackburn would ensure it was on the menu.

When the airship took off, Silverluck didn't even feel so much as a bump. The only reason she even knew that they'd left aside from the captain's perfect timing—five minutes to the second, by her count—was that she could see out the impressive window nearby that they were moving. That applied to the rest of the flight, actually: moving without feeling it. What Silverluck wouldn't give to have such smooth travel by carriage! Her ass was still sore from Newhaven's brick roads.

A part of her wanted to indulge the curious filly inside and look out the window and marvel at the sight of the ocean from on high, and to see for herself the Clashing Storm—the northerners called it the Belt of Tranquility—and what it was like not just up close, but passing through. She'd have to settle for looking at it out of the corner of her eye.

What was more important was politics, and that meant ignoring the sights to focus on making a personal connection with the new zebra ambassador.

"So, Ambassador Zultan, how are you enjoying the sights of Utopia so far?" she asked as she sipped from the lemonade she'd ordered; the lemons were from Newhaven, she could tell. Nopony made better lemonade.

Zultan shifted slightly in his seat, a curious smile on his face; Silverluck didn't need to read minds to tell that he was enjoying the comfort of the cushions. "Utopia is a fine city, though my heart yearns to returneth home to the southern snows. 'Homesickness', I believe thou wouldst calleth it?"

"You don't spend much time away from home?"

"Nay, not for such a long period. As a minor diplomat to Frostburg, my visits didst not taketh more than a fortnight at worst. House Snow and Zeb'ra'den hath had good relations for centuries now; 'tis but a trifle to address any concerns that arise. At worst, 'twould be marriage arrangements."

"Ah, I'd heard there was a minor kerfuffle last year around one of the daughters of House Snow's cadet branch. Something about her not arranging the marriage before consummating it, hmm?"

"Aye, 'twas quite the spectacle." He sighed, shaking his head, then turned to Zircon. "I knoweth not how thou can standeth it. Six months e'ry year? Harsh, I must admit."

Zircon smiled and nodded, setting down the small cup of tea that he'd ordered before speaking:

"Since I didst take my knightly oath, I hath sought little more than growth in matters social, even war. With this, I couldst not ask for more. Yes, there are times when my heart aches and when I miss our frozen lakes, or how the moons shine on our snows. But when I see a northern rose, I see not pain, but great beauty, taking pleasure in my duty."

Silverluck quietly swooned a little; all zebras maintained the old-fashioned manners of speech that had not been used for thousands of years, and they all spoke in meter and rhyme to one another—it was their way of displaying social standing and rank—but not all zebras were quite as poetic as Zircon was.

Which is probably part of why he was so popular with the ladies of the Utopian courts. Silverluck herself had taken an interest several years ago, but Zircon was a gentlecolt who, in his own words, "didst not layeth with married mares", even when Silverluck had explained that it was perfectly acceptable in pony culture to do so; almost every married noblepony had a paramour or made use of brothels.

Yes, that included herself, Skycatcher, and Golden Shield. It was the worst-kept secret in the south. Harmonia preached a practice of free love, after all, and so long as nopony was hurt in such arrangements—meaning that all parties agreed to allow it—it was acceptable, even encouraged.

Hell, she was positive that zebra culture has similar expectations in place. Ambassador Zamindari, Zultan's predecessor, often spoke of his Consort back home, Zaelera, because she and he had been foalhood friends, but he needed to marry the daughter of an influential knight to get noticed for his position. It was a sweet story, actually.

But as the soldiers of the Harmony Guard would say: c'est la vie.

"Homesickness is perfectly understandable," Silverluck said, her mind returning to the conversation. Her eyes drifted to the ceiling in thought. "I used to receive letters from my sister all the time about how much she missed the southern skies. You know that in the north, they cannot see the sky as we do? They never see the sun or the moons or stars."

"A dreadful thought," Zultan muttered, rubbing his chin. "How dost one determine what hour of the day it is without the sun and moons to guide them?"

Silverluck gestured around. "I imagine they have some fancy timekeeping contraptions for that, more accurate than any clockwork novelties you could find in the Utopian marketplace." With a careful look towards the other two lords, she added, "I tend to agree with Lord Skycatcher's assessment. Soon, the north's technology will spread south. Likely within the next generation or two."

Zircon laughed. "'Twould take much effort to convince King Zaratite that we shouldst abandon tradition to adopt the fantastical gizmos of the far north."

With a smirk, Silverluck countered, "It only took three months for Queen Blackburn to convince him to abandon thousands of years of tradition to allow zebras to communicate with ponies without using the meter and rhyme you use with one another."

"Ha! Thou speakest true, My Lady. Mayhap thou hast a point. Then again, didst he not convince her to speaketh plainly to him as well?"

"Also true."

Yes, that had been quite the event. Silverluck could still remember quite clearly when Ambassador Zamindari first spoke to her without using the meter and rhyme that she'd been accustomed to. This was about five years ago, and naturally she'd questioned it, and he'd explained to her thusly:

Apparently, King Zaratite found it desperately hard to understand Queen Blackburn's unique speech pattern and demanded that she speak plainly. She brazenly demanded that he do the same with her. They argued for months—without changing a thing about how they spoke the whole time—before they finally agreed to compromise.

Nobody knew exactly what Zaratite had gotten from Blackburn out of the deal, but now all zebras spoke plainly as could be to ponies, only using their infamous rhymes and meters when speaking with one another.

As the conversation continued—mostly more smalltalk—Silverluck took some time to watch out the window as the airship passed through the Clashing Storm, though she was careful not to devote too much attention to it. The storm had always been terrifying to pretty much everypony in the south, since until the very first airship from Hope's Point made the trip through, it was thought to be impassable.

She had never seen it up close herself, but now that she could she could understand why it was considered so terrifying. Dark clouds prevented her from seeing anything else around her but the storm itself; she didn't even know which way was up. Bolts of lightning ripped through the sky at constant, furious intervals, and they seemed to be actively trying to hit anything that passed by. Then there were the fire cyclones; those were self-explanatory.

And yet the Lunar Spear flew through it all like it wasn't even there. The golden glow that shimmered around the ship seemed to be doing its job to protect the ship and its occupants from danger, all without so much as a hint of "turbulence" as the northerners called it. Were this a nautical vessel, one could probably ride it without even experiencing seasickness. What was the airship equivalent of that, she wondered? Airsickness?

She was glad to be having none of that. How embarrassing that would be to experience it in such a public setting.

From there, once the airship broke through the other side of the storm, she and all the other delegates were treated with something new to see for the first time: the north. This, Silverluck knew, was an acceptable reason to break from the conversations and politics to look out into what may as well have been a completely different world.

The sky was orange with a disgusting, churning energy, the field generated by the northern Beacon. It was only through that Beacon that their world had remained safe and secure for all these generations, an invention of the late gryphon empire; none who lived in the south knew what had become of the gryphons, but they'd heard that they were no more in the past few decades.

As the city of Hope's Point came into view, its golden shield easily visible from its perch atop the massive coastal cliffs, Silverluck couldn't help but wonder how these ponies had managed to even survive over all the generations that it had taken them to make such outstanding inventions. The conditions looked inhospitable even in "photographs"; with her own two eyes, these so-called "Wastelands" looked worse than their name implied.

For the sake of the new arrivals, the Lunar Spear flew a course around the city before coming in to dock… wherever it was that it was supposed to dock. Silverluck could see no ports like the one in Newhaven, so she was quite curious as to how the process went. Still, her attention was mostly drawn to the environment below, from the wastes to the shielded city to the disgusting sky to the filthy waters.

"So this is the north," said Ambassador Zultan, stepping up alongside her by the window. He grimaced as he looked upon it all. "'Tis not any place that I would like to live. The ponies here art tougher than our people hath given them credit for."

"So it would seem," Silverluck replied, sipping from her lemonade. "I know that many southern ponies have traveled here in the past decade, not just for business or curiosity, but to live here. How can one call this living?" She turned to Zultan. "Have any zebras come to the far north?"

He nodded. "Some, but they art few in number, drawn here by curiosity and the call to adventure. Her Majesty Queen Blackburn, she hath made quite an impression on our people, on our king as well. I hath heard rumors that an official alliance is in the works."

"Hmm, I've heard the same whispers. I know zebras tend to have less than stellar opinions on pegasi, though I suppose knowing somepony like Her Majesty rules her kingdom with an iron hoof would change one's opinions."

"Aye." Zultan tilted his head. "Looking out upon these arid wastes fills me with relief that the southern lands were spared a similar fate. The great Lord Silvertongue's sacrifice was not in vain; 'tis through his actions that the Darkness hath been kept at bay for so many generations." With a look to Silverluck, he added, "Thou shouldst be proud to share his blood."

"Indeed. Knowing that our entire world could have become like this if not for his actions… it certainly puts things in perspective, doesn't it? We should all strive to possess such selflessness." Silverluck shook her head. "It troubles me that this news Her Majesty brings could threaten my ancestor's work."

"Wouldst thou happen to know why Her Majesty hath requested such odd historical documents?"

"I wish that I did, and I wish that any of us had anything that could help her. But expecting written works to survive for over two thousand years?" Silverluck let out a little chuckle. "She expects too much of our ancestors' preservation methods. Hopefully we can still provide aid with our presence alone."

The Lunar Spear finished its overhead tour of the city and the surrounding airspace, upon which it did something very curious, and almost a little worrisome. The ship dove down towards the sea! Surely they were about to crash! But no, nothing of the sort happened, and in fact Silverluck felt a little silly being so worried. The ship just dove under the waves as any pony diver would, and it swam for a tunnel built into the cliff.

These contraptions were truly capable of moving through both air and sea so seamlessly? Would these technological wonders ever cease?

When the ship finally came to a stop, it was in one of those little hangar bays just like they had at the port in Newhaven, only they were apparently underground; they hadn't traveled far enough up to be in the city proper by any means.

"Aha, now dis, dis I like," Golden Shield said as he looked outside the window at the mechanical chamber they were now in as it was draining itself of water. "Dey dug out a part of the cliff to make dis here dock, yah? I heard dat half de city is like dis, but I did not believe it was possible until now. Dis is efficient use of metals."

"Ha ha, you would get a kick outta a bunch o' folks livin underground, you big molerat you," Skycatcher laughed, slapping Golden gently on the shoulder. "See? I tol' ya that this here technology was the way o' the future. Just you wait 'til ya see the minin' operations they got down here. They'll make yer mines back home look like a bunch o' colts diggin' in the dirt!"

"Dey do minin' here, too?" He paused, then slapped himself in the temple. "O' course dey do, what am I talkin' here? Dey gotta have a lot o' metal an' such if dey gonna make all dis here machinery work."

"See? Told ya."

Golden Shield threw a hoof around Skycatcher and patted the other stallion's chest. "Alright, mon ami, you might have convinced me good for now. But let's see what else dis here city has to offer, yah? Dis here's good 'n' all dat, but how's the food? Heh heh."

The captain returned from the cockpit to address the passengers. "Welcome, My Lords, My Lady, to Hope's Point, the Jewel of the North. A welcoming party is prepared to greet you, and will begin taking your things to your guest quarters. Please enjoy your stay, and I hope you all had a pleasant flight aboard the Lunar Spear."

The delegates followed without another word to the captain or to one another for now; Silverluck knew that the time for casual smalltalk and observations was over, and the time for diplomacy had arrived.

Playing politics with one another was an old, tired game; none of the southern houses really had much to worry about with one another anymore. Everything was about keeping old alliances strong and maintaining good ties with each other. It was, well, boring. Hope's Point turning House Sky into a powerhouse in only a few decades was just the shake-up everypony needed, and everypony else was trying to "get in on the action", to use a northern expression.

The large doors that led into the hangar bay opened up—the noise wasn't as loud as Silverluck had been expecting—and revealed the welcoming party.

Naturally this included Queen Blackburn herself, looking as professional and imposing as ever in one of her white coats and a green-and-gold scarf. Also present was her husband, King Lockwood. Silverluck had met him only once, shortly after the wedding. He was handsome, polite, and charming in an almost southern fashion; she had to commend Blackburn on her eye for quality.

Also present were the royal couple's bodyguards, Gadget and Crossfire. The latter of the two was, if Silverluck's memory served, originally from Newhaven. His parents had apparently been servants inder Lord Skycatcher's father, but had migrated north when the airport was still relatively new. He was certainly quite a looker, but the gold earring in his ear indicated that he was married, so Silverluck lost interest immediately.

The other two ponies present, both mares, were total strangers to Silverluck. They weren't members of Blackburn's advisory Council, that much Silverluck knew; she'd done her homework over the years. So who were they? A very curious conundrum, and she knew she'd have to get in their good graces quickly if she was to maintain House Silver's dominance in these proceedings.

Queen Blackburn stepped forward first to greet the delegates, doing so with the traditional southern bow appropriate for greeting heads of households by other heads of households; this is, it was less of a bow than it was a friendly nod, but at just the right angle and for just the right amount of time. Silverluck and the other ponies in the party returned the greeting exactly as Blackburn had given it.

"Greetings, Lord Skycatcher, Lord Golden Shield, Lady Silverluck," Blackburn said quickly and politely; she'd even said their names in the proper order—eldest to youngest—which Silverluck found quite impressive as there weren't many who knew that Skycatcher was older than Golden Shield… by exactly twenty-two minutes. "And welcome to Hope's Point."

The Queen then gave a similar nod to Ambassador Zultan, with a slight flourish of her hoof, as was proper in zebra greetings of this sort. Zultan replied with a short bow—an actual bow—of his own, as would be appropriate for him.

"And greetings and welcome to you as well, Ambassador Zultan. May Layk bless thy family in their journeys at home."

Zultan seemed surprised by the greeting, but in a good way. "And many thanks and blessings upon thy home, Your Majesty. I am impressed; thy chosen greeting is reserved for nobles whose families are expecting newborns. How didst thou knowest that my sister is with foal?"

"I have my sources," was Blackburn's clean and simple response. The queen turned to the delegation as a whole, then gestured towards the two new mares with her wing. "Guests, further introductions are in order. Have additional northern delegates who will be present at summit."

The first of the two, a unicorn mare with horn-rimmed glasses, cleared her throat and gave a polite nod, almost motion-for-motion the same as what Queen Blackburn had performed a moment ago. Just a little off, but then it took years of practice to get it just right, so it was forgivable, and impressive that she'd done so well.

"Salutations, all," the mare said, adjusting her glasses with her magic, not her hoof, as was polite for a unicorn. "I am Shadow Associate Golden Dawn of the New Pandemonium City Committee. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Silverluck considered the mare for a moment. She'd gotten the motions of the greeting mostly right but her words and tone were not quite as well-practiced in this regard. But then learning how to bow was easy; learning how to properly address foreign diplomats with words was not. She could sympathize.

The mare was dressed professionally, at least by northern standards, in a dark purple dress suit. Silverluck still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that all northerners wore clothes as a "rule", as if there was something wrong with the naked form. Harmonia had made ponies in her image, so to hide it was just… wrong.

She also considered the "New Pandemonium City" bit. The name was familiar. Wasn't that the city to the farther north? The one that Hope's Point had been at war with for decades? Silverluck had heard that peace negotiations were in the works but hadn't heard yet whether they'd been made official. Nopony really dealt with New Pandemonium directly, though, so why was this mare here?

Silverluck in particular had every reason to be a bit apprehensive on the subject, of course. The military of that far northern city was responsible for the death of her dear sister Silver Glow. Really, why did they have a representative here at all? Was their peace accord that far along?

The other mare, a house-sized pegasus, then gave a similarly proper greeting nod, which she seemed to have some difficulty doing correctly. This was only natural; the motions were designed for ponies of similar sizes in mind, and this mare stood about a head taller than all of the delegates proper—a head-and-a-half for Silverluck! Sir Zircon was the only one present who came close to matching her, but even he fell short by an inch or two.

This one, too, was dressed professionally, her jacket looked like some sort of military uniform perhaps, or something that evoked one at least. She'd seen similar clothing on the captain of the Lunar Spear, in a way. As somepony who didn't know much about northern fashion or clothing, she wasn't sure if the outfits actually had any relation at all.

"Greetings, Lord Skycatcher, Lord Golden Shield, and Lady Silverluck." The mare then gave a crisper sort of nod to Zultan. "And greetings to you, Ambassador Zultan. I'm Ambassador Gray Skies, here on behalf of the New Pandemonium City Committee to represent our interests in these proceedings."

Silverluck raised an eyebrow, impressed that this mare knew proper greeting procedure better than the other one, Golden Dawn. Then again, this one, Gray Skies, was an ambassador, so perhaps she was just more accustomed to proper diplomacy. The awkwardness of her physical greetings was more than excusable if she knew how to properly use her words.

Silverluck and the other southerners then delivered their own greetings and introductions, save for Zircon who was not here in an official capacity; he had no more real responsibility or pull here than Blackburn's bodyguards did, insofar as the summit was concerned. Political traditions were what they were, and Queen Blackburn was doing a fine job of fulfilling southern customs.

"Would like to begin proceedings immediately," Blackburn said with a firm nod. "Topics are imperative; world-changing events on horizon. However, time currently not of the essence, can delay to accommodate proper southern hospitality.

"Have already arranged guest suites for all of you, assigned rooms and staff that appeal to your tastes and individual customs." She gestured towards three stewards—one of whom was a zebra—who all gave proper bows. "Assigned stewards will tend to every need. Have already assigned security details, will remain discreet; inform me if you wish for a more personal touch."

Lord Skycatcher bowed ever-so-slightly; as the eldest of the group, he was considered the "lead" so to speak, even if technically Golden Shield held the most political power of the three. "Your hospitality is appreciated, Your Majesty."

Blackburn nodded in return. "The summit will proceed at noon tomorrow. Inform staff of any concerns, will be brought immediately to my attention. Enjoy your stay."

She then gestured for the stewards to step over, which they did, immediately proceeding to their assigned nobles… except for Silverluck herself, oddly enough. Silverluck had noticed of course that a steward was missing, or perhaps that one was hidden out of the way. So she wasn't surprised, just annoyed, when Queen Blackburn approached her directly and somewhat quietly.

"Lady Silverluck," she said with a small nod. "Been some time."

"Yes, since shortly after your wedding, if I recall correctly, Your Majesty," Silverluck said, narrowing her eyes. "May I assume since you are speaking to me privately that this is a conversation that you don't wish the others to partake in?"

"Correct. Had a topic to discuss with you. In private."

"Well, since we're no longer playing public politics here, I will assume that I can speak freely," Silverluck said; it wasn't a question, because she knew that Blackburn knew that she knew what tradition dictated. "In which case, yes, it has been some time, but frankly not long enough."

Blackburn sighed and nodded. "Reaction understandable; can't forgive me for treatment of your sister. I cannot apologize enough; one of my great regrets in life."

"No, you can't apologize enough. Because the pony you should be apologizing to is dead," Silverluck snorted. "Whatever topic that you have to discuss with me can wait. You made a big show about following traditions earlier, so don't skimp on the pomp and circumstance with me. Now, where is my steward?"

Blackburn gestured over to the side, where another pony, a younger mare, was waiting off to the side of the hanger bay door.

Silverluck nodded and started walking away. "Excellent. Then if you'll excuse me—"

"Not making this request as the queen," Blackburn said, a slight pleading in her voice, which was unusual for her. "Making request as family."

"Family? You think that you and I are family?" Silverluck sneered and shook her head. "Your father married my sister. I know what that makes us, yes, and I don't care. Family doesn't treat family the way you did."

"I know. Want to make amends. Please, come with me. Have something to show you. It's…" She took a breath. "Important."

"Can't it wait?"

"It can. But you would not want me to delay it if you knew what it was."

That caught Silverluck's attention; she knew it was a manipulative, enigmatic statement meant to catch her off guard, and she knew that that was something Blackburn was practically famous for down south, but something about the way she said it actually gave Silverluck pause. There was a certain emotional twist to Blackburn's voice that she wasn't used to.

After a moment to consider it, Silverluck sighed and nodded. "Fine. But this had better not be a waste of my time. I'm already upset about there being ponies here who represent the nation responsible for my sister's death, so you'll forgive me if I'm not feeling particularly congenial at the moment."

"No, understand completely. And… situation is complicated." Blackburn nodded. "But you'll understand afterwards. Come."

*****

Silverluck wasn't sure what to make of the small meeting room that she'd been escorted to, nor the strange "elevator" contraption that had taken them up here, nor the fact that more than just herself and Blackburn were present. Not who she expected, of course; King Lockwood had left with the other southern delegates to handle diplomatic duties, and Ambassador Gray Skies had gone with him. Blackburn's personal guard, Gadget, stood outside.

Thus, the other pony present for this "meeting" was one of the new faces from earlier, the… what did she call herself again? Shadow Associate?

Golden Dawn was her name, which Silverluck found odd on a number of levels now that she got a good chance to look at her. Her colors—golden brown for her coat, cream for her mane—evoked the same sort of pedigree that had been passed down through House Golden for generations; Silverluck’s husband, Goldenglow, had almost the exact same coat color.

Perhaps this mare was descended from one of House Golden's soldiers that had stayed behind hundreds of years ago, one of the loyal followers of Lord Silvertongue himself? It was obvious that those followers long ago had formed their own settlement that had grown into what was New Pandemonium City today, so the logic certainly followed.

"So, what is this all about?" Silverluck asked, slouching lightly in her seat just to demonstrate her distaste for this whole ordeal. "Why is she here?"

Blackburn took a short breath. "Best for her to explain it." With a quick look to Dawn, though, she added, "And for her to be brief, to the point. Other details can wait. Important matters come first."

Dawn stuck her nose in the air. "I am aware, Your Majesty, of what constitutes as important and carry no intention of delaying the matter. I can address my personal interests within this unique situation once the initial business is concluded." She gave Silverluck a small smile. "Though I will note that it is an honor to meet you, Lady Silverluck."

"Thank you, Shadow Associate," Silverluck said with a tense nod; she had to be polite if she could, but it was hard to do so looking into the face of somepony that was responsible for Silver Glow's death.

"Please, you can utilize my given name if you so wish. Most ponies simply refer to me as 'Dawn', as 'Golden' is much less appealing for a singular name in and of itself."

"Very well, Dawn. Now, what is this all about?"

Dawn took a breath of her own. "As a native of the southern continent, you are no doubt acquainted with Harmonia, one of the two alicorn goddesses. I do not mean on a personal level, of course, but on an awareness level."

Silverluck raised an eyebrow. "Obviously. I pray to Harmonia at my family's personal shrine once a week. She is a guiding light in the lives of every southern pony. Even the zebras pay her tribute and give her the proper reverence she deserves."

A pause. Dawn cleared her throat. "But of course you knew what I was implying. Apologies. Right. Well, then I know you are also aware that Harmonia employs a sort of high priest in her service, a pony that exemplifies her ideals and speaks on her behalf to mortal ponies."

"Her Warden, yes. The current Warden of Harmonia is Mémoire. Does this have something to do with him?"

"No, not with him, not personally. His station, however, is the crucial juncture of this conversation that I am required to address. You see, I am a Warden as well."

Silverluck's eyes widened. "Wh-what? You—"

"Not Nihila's Warden!" Dawn said quickly. "Apologies. I could not enunciate quickly enough to reveal that critical piece of information."

Silverluck paused, eyes still wide, heart still pounding. She looked at Blackburn first, barely able to contain her rage from overtaking her fear, then back to Dawn. "I don't understand. How can you be a Warden, but not Nihila's? There are only two alicorn goddesses, and if you are a Warden, but not to one, then it must be to the other."

"That is correct, I am not the Warden to Harmonia, and I am in point of fact the Warden to another alicorn. Not a goddess, but a god. I am the Warden to Silvertongue, God of Triumph. He… he is my father."

Silverluck paused again, paused for a long moment, then sat up straight in her seat, put both hooves on the table, and said firmly, "I'm leaving."

Dawn blinked. "What?"

"I'm leaving." Silverluck got out of her seat and made her way towards the door, but Blackburn got in her way. "Get out of my way, Blackburn. I will not sit here and be insulted by some northern cretin who thinks that they can just throw around the name of my ancestor with such… audacity."

Blackburn, her wings wide to keep Silverluck from sneaking around her, just shook her head. "She's telling the truth."

"Oh, don't give me that. What, do you think this is supposed to be funny? Hmm? Is this your way of getting back at me because I never respond to your letters? You should be ashamed of yourself, using family as a weapon like that."

"Like yourself?"

Silverluck paused. "What did you just say?"

"Use sister as weapon against me every day. Refuse attempts to apologize; will not forgive, will not forget." Blackburn shook her head. "Have enough regrets. Do not need more."

"Well said, Your Majesty," came a voice from the other side of the room; it was both distinctly Golden Dawn's voice and a stallion's voice speaking in perfect unison.

Silverluck turned to face the voice and leapt back in shock, right into Blackburn in fact; her step-niece caught her, luckily, so she did not fall to the floor. Dawn was still sitting there in her seat as she had been a moment ago, eyes now closed. Occupying the same space was a translucent image of a tall, handsome stallion with a shining silver coat and a golden blond mane. One of his eyes was a gorgeous blue, the other made entirely of golden light.

Most strikingly, he had both wings and a horn. Together. On the same stallion. Thus he was no unicorn, and yet also not a pegasus, but was also somehow both?

"Wh-who are you?" Silverluck stammered, trying to regain her footing but having trouble with it.

"I am Lord Silvertongue."

"What are you?"

"An alicorn. A god." The stallion—Silverluck refused to refer to him as anything but that for now, no matter who he said he was—nodded and gave a sympathetic smile. "I believe that my daughter Dawn was attempting to impart that information to you earlier. I understand that it isn't a particularly easy piece of information to accept, but it's true."

SIlverluck finally managed to regain her balance and stand on her own four hooves again, and she eyed the stallion cautiously. Her immediate thought was that this was some sort of illusion spell that Dawn was using to trick her, but every unicorn knew that using spellwork, even the most minute of spells, caused a unicorn's horn to glow with magic. Dawn's was not glowing in any way, shape, or form.

Still, this could very well be a trick nonetheless. How, she didn't know, but she knew how she could find out. "If you're really Lord Silvertongue, then prove it," she demanded. "Prove to me that you are who you say you are."

The stallion smiled ever-so-slightly. "Naturally you would require proof, though I think we can eliminate the concept of me telling you something that only I would say. You've never met me before now, obviously. So you would therefore require some other form of proof, would you not?"

"I… I suppose I would, yes." Silverluck balked; she couldn't think of any other way to get any proof of the stallion's claims. "I… but if I don't know you, how am I supposed to prove you're really Lord Silvertongue?"

"Quite the vexing predicament. Might I offer an idea?"

"Sure?"

"As a Lady of House Silver, you are no doubt aware of the family's genealogy, yes? Unless our family's consideration of their pedigree has become unimportant, in which case I possess other alternatives to deliver proof."

"No, I know the family tree," Silverluck said with a huff. "I had to memorize it when I was ten."

"Only ten? Hmm. The standards are relaxing." The stallion shrugged; it was so odd to watch Dawn's physical body to it in unison with his translucent one. "But it will suffice. You are no doubt aware that the family genealogy of every southern noble house is both publicly available and a closely guarded secret, I assume?"

Silverluck raised an eyebrow. "Yes, of course. We maintain records of important ponies within the family's bloodline, and these we make known to the other noble houses as proof of our pedigree, as proof of the strength in our blood. But we do not make public the other branches that connect to those ponies, such as spouses, unless they too are related."

It was rare, but not unheard of, for cadet branches to sometimes merge with the main branch of the tree; or, in laypony's terms, for a member of the main branch to marry a cousin. Usually everypony had the sense to avoid first cousins, at least; there was a big difference between strong, pure bloodline, and foolish inbreeding. House Hill had gone extinct for a reason.

"Very good, yes," the stallion replied. "Thus, there would be some information contained within the tree that you know, as a member of House Silver, that only another member of House Silver would know, correct?"

"Correct."

"So then as you are no doubt aware, the name of Silvertongue's mother is well-known, as his mother was a lady of House Silver."

Silverluck nodded. "Correct. Lady Silverstone. That is common knowledge even today; schoolchildren learn it as part of their history lessons."

"But his father's name is not known so well outside the family, correct?"

"No. His father's identity is unimportant for proving the lineage of the House Silver bloodline. But his name would be known to House Silver, as we maintain records of all of that information for internal purposes."

"Indeed. Of course, if anypony were to ask, you would tell them that it was Lady Silverstone's husband, Lord Greenleaf. But then you know that isn't actually true. My father's name was Scarlet Oak."

Silverluck's eyes widened in utter shock. "You can't possibly know that. Nopony knows that. To even imply that would… would be—"

"Nopony except for other members of House Silver would know this, of course." The stallion shook his head and smiled. "Though yes, I suppose it would come as quite a shock to the rest of the southern nobility if they ever learned that the father of the great Lord Silvertongue was a common gardener, one with whom my mother enjoyed a few too many dailances with."

A pause, and the stallion looked right at Queen Blackburn. "And I trust that certain ponies in this room who shouldn't know that piece of information will forget about it entirely of their own accord. Dawn is well-trained in memory alteration magic, should the need arise."

Blackburn traced her hoof over her mouth; Silverluck vaguely understood the gesture to mean that she would keep quiet.

"Thank you."

Silverluck stared wide-eyed at the stallion, her mind reeling with information. "There's… there's no way that you could know that without knowing the family history. Lady Silverstone herself made that record, so the only way you could know it…" She shook her head. "You are him. You're really Lord Silvertongue."

"In the flesh… as it were," he chuckled. "I never imagined that I would ever reconnect with my family again after so many centuries. It's quite a unique experience, though I suppose I don't need to tell you that. Speaking of which, you might want to remember to breathe every now and then."

Silverluck just realized that she'd been holding a breath ever since she confirmed his identity. "R-right. Right. Um… I… I'm afraid I'm rather in the dark here on how to react to all of this. You're family so greetings would be—"

"If you're concerned about proper tradition, don't be. This is a unique situation that you wouldn't have any prior training for, anyway. I'm family, yes, and also fill a role that Harmonia herself would fill, and yet everyone in the south last knew me as a Warden." Silvertongue smiled and gave a polite nod. "Let us just keep things simple, hmm?"

Silverluck gulped, then returned the nod. "Of course. Might I ask how these circumstances came to be? When last anyone saw you, pony or otherwise, you were in the north, completing the construction of the Beacon. Word had been sent that you had been gravely injured finishing off Nihila's forces, and that you would not be returning south."

"Indeed." Silvertongue sighed—it was odd watching an astral projection sigh—and shook his head. "The tale is quite long, and there are many details that you will find disturbing, as the stories you know are laden with inaccuracies and outright lies to protect the secrets that I needed to keep in order to protect our world. I would ask that you hold your questions until the end."

"I will try."

He then explained everything. And as words continued pouring out, Silverluck found herself unable to even try to ask a question as her entire worldview came crashing down with each and every breath.

"The war was essentially over," Silvertongue started. "Pockets of what was left of Nihila's armies were all that remained of the northern threat. Our next task was constructing the Beacons, to fully divide the world into the northern and southern halves that we have today, to precisely balance the Light and the Dark so that the world would never come under threat again.

"The ponies who remained in the north with me to accomplish this task were those utterly devoted to me and to my ideals, so loyal that they would follow any order, obey any command, perform any task that I asked. Those who I sent south were loyal to me and my ideals, yes, but they would try to stop what was to come next. Not that they could… but I did not want them to try.

"Princess Zayra of Zeb'ra'den was one such ally. I tasked her and most of our remaining forces with an important task that they would relish: constructing the Beacon of the south, and remaining there with her people to protect it until such a time that it was no longer needed. I did not expect any of them to try to return to my side; I'd hoped the Clashing Storm, as the southerners still call it today, would dissuade anyone from trying.

"But before the Storm finished forming…" He paused and took a breath. "First, I must say that I was never gravely wounded, as the reports would have indicated. That was a fabrication of mine to ensure that the southern allies I had would believe that I was dead and that they should move on with their lives. It quite nearly worked.

"Instead, what happened was that I convinced Nihila that I was just as power-hungry as her fallen Warden, Blood Beryl. I convinced her that I would be a suitable replacement, and that my Beacon ploy would ensure that she would be able to build up a new army that the south could never hope to fight against.

"She believed me, and thus she made me her Warden, so there was a brief moment in time when I was Warden to both Harmonia and Nihila. I did not expect it to extend my lifespan, but it did. An ironic boon, as I'd had plans in place to appoint replacements to carry on my work, but now had no need.

"Nihila was no fool, however, and suspected that my ploy was a trick; she was right, of course, but she underestimated my patience and resolve. To test my new 'loyalty', she tasked me with a grave undertaking: destroying my former allies, the gryphons, with a method so brutal and absolute that surely if I was lying about my loyalty I would be horrified and refuse.

"But the greatest sacrifices require the strongest wills, and I knew that even if it took years, decades, centuries, I could only ever truly defeat Nihila if I maintained the willpower that had gotten me through the entire war." With a breath, he concluded, "So I did it. Using a magical plague of her design, I exterminated the gryphons in a single day, down to the last.

"It was necessary, of course, to maintain the ruse. Nihila took my actions as proof that I was loyal to her and her cause, and so she no longer concerned herself with testing me. She figured that if I was ever truly disloyal to her, that she could simply allow my guilt and suffering over genocide to end my life with little effort on her part.

"What she never knew was that it was not the gryphons' end that I regretted, cold as that may sound. Their sacrifice was merely cold calculus on my part: kill thousands of gryphons now to save millions, billions, of pony lives later." He shook his head. "No, my only regret that day was putting down the one and only creature who stood in my way: Lady Golden Heart.

"I did not know that she had returned north after receiving word that I was dying of an infected injury. She was the only one who saw through that lie, the only one who dared venture north again, knowing that she would never return due to the Storm should she be wrong. She found me easily, mere hours before I would begin my work against the gryphons.

"When she found out what I was attempting to do, she was horrified, of course. Who wouldn't be? And though she tried to convince me that what I was doing was wrong, that it was not too late to turn back, she knew that my resolve was too strong to let even her words sway me from my chosen path." He looked up at the ceiling, despondent. "We both knew what I had to do."

He then let out another sigh and shook his head. "Killing the gryphons was a mere footnote compared to murdering the mare that had captured my heart. The single worst day of my long, long life. And thus began my reign as the Warden of Nihila. For the past several centuries I served her, gaining her trust and earning a place at her side so strong that she did not suspect that I was never loyal to her.

"Seven years ago… well, that is a more complicated tale and one that will be shared at the summit. To sum that up, however, I was given an opportunity to finally enact my plan to destroy Nihila once and for all."

He gestured with his hoof, and his alone, at Golden Dawn. "My daughter and her sisters were instrumental in the plan. With their help, I destroyed Nihila, and I became a god in her stead." With a tilt of his head, he added as a final note, "That is the extent of the tale that is relevant to you for now. More will be revealed tomorrow."

Silverluck sat still, eyes transfixed on her ancestor's astral form, barely able to comprehend the story that he'd just told her. Lord Silvertongue had been the greatest hero the south had ever known, a stallion who took charge and brought war to Nihila and her armies with a combined force of ponies, zebras, and even gryphons, a feat thought utterly impossible. He was considered a paragon of virtue among the southern ponies and the zebras.

And here he had just told her that for all of a hero and a saint that he was in the south, in the north he was the greatest monster who'd ever lived. She couldn't even express her thoughts verbally; she didn't want to believe a word that was being said, but there was no reason for Silvertongue to lie about this. By the time she was even able to recover her thoughts enough to express anything at all, she only had one question:

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because as a member of House Silver, you deserve to know the truth," Silvertongue said simply. "Everyone—pony and zebra—deserves to know the truth. Now that my life's work is complete, I have no reason to hide myself away in the shadows, to protect this horrible truth from escaping into the light of day."

"And yet you did not reveal this all to us seven years ago, immediately after completing your plans?" Silverluck scoffed.

"No, of course not. Had I done so then, it would have utterly destroyed House Silver's reputation. Your family's entire history has been built upon the legacy that I left; the truth would ruin your lives more than it would mine. I don't care for such things." Silvertongue gestured down at Dawn. "My daughter and her sisters have been working to bind the north and south together eventually. When that time came, the truth would have been revealed, but plans… change."

"Then why reveal it to me now?"

"That will be revealed at the summit tomorrow, but what I will say is that I feel we are past the point where reputation matters, not when lives are at stake. I cannot help those who will not accept it, and I will not force anyone to do otherwise. I am past that point in my life; I am trying to make amends for the atrocities that I committed in the name of protecting our world.

"However, I can understand if you think that this information, once I reveal it to the other delegates tomorrow, will ruin any hopes you have of maintaining friendly ties with the other noble houses. I understand that a representative of House Golden is here; whoever they are, I doubt very much that they would appreciate the knowledge that I murdered Lady Golden Heart."

Silverluck sucked in a breath at that. "No. Lord Golden Shield will very much not appreciate that knowledge. A murder like that, even one committed so long ago, would be grounds for war."

"Exactly. And the south can ill afford a war with what is at stake in the coming weeks. So, if you think I should keep that information from him—"

"No," Silverluck said firmly. "No more secrets. You revealed this story to me, and I want you to reveal it all to him and to all the others exactly as you did here. If House Silver's reputation is ruined, so be it; that is on your actions, not ours. I will work to prevent war as much as I can, but it will be on my own merits. I will work to repair any damage that you caused."

"Hmm…" Silvertongue then gave her a warm smile. "Very good. I had hoped that House Silver was still a noble house of integrity. Your family has built itself upon my legacy, a legacy that ends in tragedy and horror. But you still exemplify the virtues that I extolled when I was still a part of the southern nobility."

"Hmph. This will take a great deal of effort to handle, but of course you're aware of that." Silverluck shook her head, leaning back in her seat and giving out a great, weary sigh. "Our entire bloodline has been tainted by your actions."

Silvertongue raised a curious eyebrow. "How so?"

"What do you mean 'how so'? Your descendents will all be known to share the blood of a pony who committed genocide! I can feel the taint of it on my hooves even now; my great-grandfather many times over is a cold-blooded murderer, a genocidal monster, a traitor."

"Aha. Apparently I need to clarify another inaccuracy. I have no blood descendents. When I first became the Warden of Harmonia, I forsake all of my titles and holdings as a member of House Silver. Certainly I was still a part of the household, but not in the capacity that matters for this topic."

Silverluck blinked. "What? No, that can't be right. We just had a big discussion earlier about the family's genealogy. You had a daughter, Silver Bells. The current main branch of the family all descends from her, and thus from you."

"I… what?" Silvertongue seemed genuinely struck by this, oddly enough. "Silver Bells is not my daughter. She is my half-sister. She is the full-blooded offspring of Lady Silverstone and Lord Greenleaf, born only a year before the war began. Why would…" A pause, then he chuckled and smiled. "Ah. I see. Reputation mattered that much to Mother."

"I'm… I'm not following."

"Tell me, who does the family genealogy claim was the mare with whom I sired Silver Bells?'

"Why, Lady Golden Heart of course. You two were not properly wed, but nopony would have dared argue the legitimacy of the union between Harmonia's Warden and whomever he chose to… ahem, bed." A pause. "Though obviously now…"

He sighed wistfully. "If only that were true…" He shook his head again. "My Heart and I never had foals of our own. The war came too soon following my appointment as Warden, and she was not willing to bring a foal into the world while Nihila was still a threat. It would seem as though my mother altered the family tree slightly."

Silverluck held her head in her hooves; she didn't know why, but she could tell he was being honest here. "Is our entire family's legacy built upon lies?" She shook her head. "I… I need some time to process all of this. It's a lot to take in all at once. I think I might just need a drink."

"Can provide whatever you need," Blackburn quipped from the door; Silverluck had almost forgotten she was even there.

"Yes, well, thank you for that, Your Majesty. Your hospitality is appreciated." Silverluck sighed and rose from her seat, then made for the door, turning to Silvertongue only briefly. "And thank you for telling me all of this, even if it isn't exactly pleasant to hear."

"The truth never is." Silvertongue then gestured with his hoof, and his alone, at Golden Dawn. "If I might ask a favor, Golden Dawn and her sisters are… I consider them my daughters, and they consider me their father. The relation is not by blood, of course, but that is irrelevant. As such, they are your family as well, distant cousins in fact."

"Given how many generations have passed, and that they are your daughters, they would be quite distant cousins indeed. Before I agree to anything of the sort, a question for you: if family means so much to you, why did you allow the New Pandemonium military to kill Queen Silver Glow, my sister?"

Silvertongue frowned. "Ah. That is, unfortunately, a sad coincidence. New Pandemonium and Hope's Point were at war for many years by that point, as Nihila wanted. The NPAF was testing a new weapon that would disrupt the city's shields that day. By chance, King Stormchaser and Queen Silver Glow were killed. They were not targeted specifically, and I didn't order the attack personally."

"Did you know about this?" Silverluck asked, addressing Blackburn.

Blackburn grunted. "Only learned this aspect in past month. Doesn't make it easier." She shook her head and let out a low chuckle. "Never got to tell you: got some form of revenge. Commander in charge of force that killed her? Planted evidence on him, got him executed for treason."

"A clever ploy, and quite amusing to watch at that," Silvertongue quipped. "I was certainly impressed that the new queen was so… devious."

Silverluck looked back to Silvertongue, then sighed again and nodded. "I will accept this news as… an unfortunate accident, in that case, especially if the one who was directly responsible has been suitably punished for his crime. I will consider your request, My Lord."

"Please do. In times like these, family is the most important thing." With a look to Blackburn, then back to her, he added, "No matter how estranged."

Blackburn then stepped aside to allow Silverluck to step out the door. "Anything I can do for you—"

"A good drink to start with," Silverluck grumbled. "And… if you tell me where to find my sister's grave, I would very much like to visit it. I had wanted to hold off until after the summit, but…"

"Of course. Will take you—"

"No. Thank you, but… I need to be alone with her for a little bit."

Blackburn paused, then nodded. "The Garden Room." She pointed off down the hall to the left. "Follow this hall, take left at the end, proceed to main hall. Second floor, first hall on the right, fifth door on the left. Any guard or staff member can provide directions if needed."

"Thank you, Blackburn. We'll… we'll talk later."

Blackburn smiled lightly. "Yes. I would like that."

*****

Silverluck managed to find the Garden Room with ease, as Blackburn's directions had been utterly exact. The room was large and filled with all sorts of beautiful southern plants that grew around the Utopian territories, so Silverluck recognized all of them fairly quickly as the gardens at the family's estate had pretty much the same plants: woolly blue curls, hummingbird sage, beardtongue, blue-eyed grass, bush sunflowers, coffeeberry, and more.

The entire room was kept underneath a set of lights that perfectly replicated southern sunlight, which explained why there had been a basket at the entrance with what the northerners called "shades" or "sunglasses"; they had similar spectacles in the south, particularly in the sunnier regions like Utopia and Newhaven, but they called them dark glasses. Silverluck owned a pair herself, but she hadn't brought them with.

At the far back of the room, Silverluck found a memorial, which declared that Queen Silver Glow of Hope's Point had been buried here after her death nearly thirteen years ago. The grave was surrounded with the most beautiful arrangement of southern flowers that Silverluck had ever seen, more beautiful even than the Utopian Central Gardens back home. Silver Glow always did want to be buried in a garden.

At the bottom of the memorial, Silver Glow was proclaimed to be a kind and loving queen, wife, daughter, sister, and… mother.

Silverluck had never visited this grave, of course. Her family had a memorial at home for her, and though Blackburn had offered to send the body of Silver Glow home, they refused; southern tradition held that she be buried at her spouse's home, which meant Hope's Point. Silverluck knew her parents agreed with it fully—it was tradition, after all—but Silverluck hated the thought of it. Blackburn didn't deserve to have Silver Glow buried here.

"Hello, sister…" Silverluck whispered as she knelt down into the grass around the memorial; it was real grass, just as real as the grass outside her window at home. "I know that I have never visited you in person… and for that, I am sorry. I hope that you can forgive me.

"I'd like to think that I was doing right by you all these years, telling your stepdaughter what I thought of her because of how she treated you. I know that you did not ever hate her… but I did not have the same restraint that you did. I used to think you were a fool every time I read one of your letters. 'How can she still want to bond with that'—" She paused, laughed. "Well, I might have used some rather harsh language in private.

"Blackburn wrote to me twice a year after you died. I never read those letters. She wrote to me once a month after she was married. I never read those either." She sighed, shaking her head. "She wanted to speak privately with me when she visited after her wedding. I refused. Family is everything to us, Glow… and she gave me no reason to believe that she was family.

"But after everything I’ve just learned, all of the truths and lies and cover-ups, I cannot help but think that maybe I've been wrong." She chuckled. "I suppose you begin to rethink things when you learn that you're not who you think you are, that your family’s legacy has been a lie for generations.

"I just wanted to say that… I know that you know I loved you, with all my heart. There have been times when I believed that I was the only pony in this world who truly did. But I know that… that you wouldn't want this. You wanted nothing more than a family. A loving husband, a beautiful daughter of your own. You wouldn't want me fighting with the closest thing to a daughter you could ever have."

She stood back up, lifting up her dark glasses to wipe some tears that had started to cake under her eyes. "Blackburn's right: I've been using your death as a weapon all these years, as an excuse to hate her and distance myself from your family. I think maybe it's time to reevaluate what family really means. I love you, sister. May Harmonia continue to watch over you."

She left the room, depositing the pair of dark glasses in a bin designated for used ones, and was about to head down the hall when she realized that somepony was there, waiting for her. "Your Majesty," she said with a small bow to King Lockwood. "How do you do?"

"I'm doing just fine myself, Lady Silverluck," Lockwood said with a short nod of acknowledgement; he offered her a kerchief that he had tucked into his vest pocket, which she took. "I'm more concerned with how you're doing."

She raised an eyebrow. "Were you listening to me just now?"

"No. I saw you in there, though, and waited out here until you were done. I didn't want to interrupt your moment with your sister. Blackburn tells me that the room was painstakingly created to your sister's specifications after she died; it was incomplete at the time of her death."

"I see. Well… thank you, then, for allowing me some privacy. It's my understanding that there isn't a lot of that to go around here in Hope's Point if Her Majesty wishes to find information."

Lockwood chuckled. "Don't believe everything that you hear. Blackburn knows just about everything that goes on around the city, but she doesn't bug private rooms or spy on folks when they're engaged in private activities. Just, y'know. She likes to be secure."

"I suppose I just don't understand it," Silverluck said with a frown. "Things aren't like that in the south. Paranoia is considered a sign of poor mental health."

"Well up here, it's sometimes the only way that a pony can survive. Or at least that's how it used to be. We're working on improvements." He cleared his throat. "So, I know that you had a chance to speak with your, ah… ancestor. I'm guessing that it didn't quite go the way you would have expected it to go?"

"In a manner of speaking," she replied, not sure if he knew all of the information that had come out into the open earlier. "Why?"

"Well, I just figured I'd let you know that sometimes, family isn't about where you come from, who you can trace your bloodline to, y'know?"

"In the south, that sort of thing means everything. I know it doesn't mean the same up here, but surely you know your family history to some degree?"

He shook his head. "I didn't know my mother well—she died when I was very young—and I thankfully never met the scumbag that sired me. But I still have folks who took me into their home when I needed them most. They're my family. Blood doesn't factor into it."

Silverluck snorted, though she hadn't intended it to be unpleasant. "Hmph. There might just be a lesson in there that you're trying to teach me."

"I suppose so. Let me get to the point: I'd very much like to invite you to partake in dinner with the family. Blackburn and myself, of course, as well as our kids, my parents and my other siblings. And another new addition, of course: Rarity. Er, Lady Rarity. I think you'll like her a lot. Blackburn thinks so too."

Silverluck tilted her head. "This 'Lady' Rarity is a new addition to the family? I was unaware Hope's Point had noble houses in the first place. Did she marry one of your brothers? I assume you have brothers as you mentioned siblings earlier."

"Er, no. It's… well, it's not actually all that complicated. But it's not something we should discuss out in the hall, hmm? What d'ya say? Dinner tonight with everypony?'

"Hmm… very well. You make a persuasive argument, and thus I shall accept your invitation, Your Majesty," Silverluck said with a small smile.

"Wonderful," Lockwood replied. "I'll let Blackburn know. She'll be tickled pink to know you're coming."

"I imagine she would be, yes." A pause. "She… truly does regret how she acted towards Silver Glow, then?"

Lockwood nodded, his eyes looking past Silverluck towards the grave of Silver Glow. "She's mentioned as much to me many, many times. It's one of the few things in her life that she wishes she could actually change."

"Hmm." Silverluck then bowed again. "I thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty. I will retire to my quarters for the time being, until I receive further notification of dinner."

"A pleasure then, Lady Silverluck," Lockwood replied with a nod and a smile. "Until tonight. Bring your appetite!"

Silverluck laughed; it was a northern saying, and one that she'd found amusing the first time she'd heard it. Southern dinners were about formality and conversation; feasts were a different story altogether.

As Silverluck made her way past Lockwood and down the hall, she took a deep breath and let her mind begin turning over the day's events. Today had certainly been… momentous. A lesser pony than she might have fainted, their weak hearts unable to handle the stress. But Silverluck was no weak-willed filly. Her father would not have entrusted this summit to her if he did not think she could handle it.

And handle it she would; with Harmonia as her witness, she was going to handle this.

*****

Sir Zircon had heard of the reputation of Hope's Point's military many, many times before. He had seen their great airship contraptions from a distance on occasion, and though he did not understand how they worked or what they were truly capable of, he viewed them as akin to seafaring vessels and thus believed that what most folks meant was that Hope's Point's fleet was invincible. Not their troops, but their navy. Air navy?

And yes, that was certainly something worth bragging about and being proud of as a citizen of this strange northern country with its bizarre rules about clothes and its strange gizmos and gadgets. But it wasn't satisfactory to Zircon, no no, not in the least. A fine navy would defend the city's southern borders, yes, and since their navy could fly, perhaps their northern borders too.

But what would happen should the enemy—whomever that might be—get through the gates and storm the walls? Who would defend the city when their foes were in their very streets? They needed soldiers for that, and he had heard that the Hope's Point militia contained some of the best soldiers in the world, but that remained to be seen.

So, curious, he ventured out from the royal palace towards the militia's headquarters that evening, to where they supposedly trained and lived and learned together as a single unit. He got directions from the helpful staff members at the palace itself, particularly a cleaning mare who had been particularly forthcoming.

The building wasn't hard to find once he knew where it was, and reminded him a little bit of Blackfire Keep, the fortress that the Order of the Black Flame—his knightly order—used as their own base of operations. It was larger, certainly, but not nearly as grand in his opinion. He had no idea what the material they'd built it from was, but it certainly wasn't any stone or metal he recognized.

The staff members at the barracks were accommodating, which pleased Zircon to say the least. "I am visiting from Zeb'ra'den as an advisor to Ambassador Zultan," he'd said. "I hath been curious for many years about how the soldiers of Hope's Point train for battle. Couldst thou showeth me to their training yard?"

And just like that, he was escorted through the building to what the staff member—a fit young mare with glasses—called the "training facility", rather than the yard. Zircon understood immediately why there was a difference in the name, as this "facility" was far better equipped than the training yards at home, even the one at Blackfire Keep, and also far larger.

All of the ponies were engaged in a variety of training exercises and body-building activities, and so Zircon was already impressed. Keeping one's body in shape was as necessary to being a good soldier as keeping one's mind sharp and one's skills honed.

He observed as the militia's unicorns exercised their bodies and magics in unison with weights, as the pegasi worked both their legs and wings in tandem with strange devices that moved both the air and ground, as the earth ponies strengthened their muscles with stretches, weights, and other exercises. Though Zircon did not know what many of the devices did or how they worked, the sheer volume of sweat on display indicated that nopony was slacking.

Next he went over to what the staff called a "firing range", which reminded him of an archery range only more… automated? The ponies fired their strange "guns" at targets down a range just like any other, but they did not require another pony to move and adjust targets for them; the targets moved of their own accord, surely another sign of northern technology in action.

Zircon did not approve of these "guns", however. He wasn't fond of archery personally, but he understood the need for archers in the ranks and valued their skills. There was just something he found distasteful about these weapons. Maybe it was their sheer killing power: a single soldier with just one of the smaller guns could "fire" ten "rounds" at a target faster than an archer could let loose two arrows. And they were loud, too, not at all quiet like arrows and bolts.

So uncivilized.

After watching the display for a few moments, unsure what to make of it all, he moved over to a part of the facility where the ponies would hone their hoof-to-hoof skills, and this interested Zircon greatly.

What sort of style did the militia train in, he wondered? He rarely fought without his runic blade, but as a Knight of the Black Flame, he was expected to fight in hoof-to-hoof combat if need be. He himself had trained in the fourth style, as it benefited from his size and strength.

He watched several of these ponies train for several minutes, however, and he found them lacking. They moved with quick, precise motions and strikes, reminiscent of Seaside's Agua Bailando style, better known as Water Dancing, only without weapons and with more impact in the blows. All very nice and it looked fancy and pretty to an outsider, but it only really benefited smaller, faster users. The larger ponies just looked sluggish.

But then his attention was drawn over to another pair of ponies training, one a larger stallion, red with a blond mane, the other a mare, orange with a blonde mane. Siblings, perhaps; their eyes had a slight familial resemblance, as did their mane colors. The mare's tail was curiously short; perhaps it was some sort of, what did they call it, "fashion statement"?

Northerners were strange.

The stallion was one of the bigger, bulkier types, but he was also rather smooth with how he moved, and he definitely wasn't using the same style as the other ponies he'd seen thus far. His movements and strikes were backed by sheer strength of muscle; he could move fast because he had strong legs; he could hit hard for the same reason. A pony like that would be tearing the other ponies in the room apart in a straight fight.

The mare, though, was something else. It was rare for a pony to have any sort of knowledge of zebra hoof-to-hoof fighting techniques, and while she wasn't perfect, she seemed to have a pretty good knowledge of the fifth style. She was quick on her hooves but he could tell by the way she struck that she had power behind her blows, more than the average mare her size should have.

This was probably why she was training in style five; most zebra mares trained in two or three, but that was typically to take advantage of their smaller frames. This mare had too much muscle for style two or three, that was easy enough to see through her form-fitting clothing.

Watching the two spar was like watching a pair of dancers who were trying to hit each other hard enough to knock one another off their hooves. Back, and forth, left, and right, turn, turn, and so on. Elegant yet brutal; the ideal combat. Yes, Zircon liked these two northerners already; they knew what it meant to be a warrior.

After a few back and forths between the two trading blows, they backed off to breathe and recuperate, drinking from bottles of water they had sitting at a nearby bench. Another curiosity of the north; naturally Zircon knew what a bottle was, but theirs were not made of glass like what he was accustomed to, instead made of some sort of other translucent material.

The pair noticed him watching once they'd taken a moment to relax. "Uh, hey there," the stallion said, raising an eyebrow. "Can we help you?"

"Aye, perhaps thou canst be of assistance," Zircon replied, stepping over the rope-like fence that kept the two from spilling their sparring session out into the rest of the facility. "I hath been observing the other militia ponies for some time, but until I didst gaze upon this display, I was not impressed with what I saw."

The two shared a brief look at one another. "Uh, I think I got the gist of that," the stallion said. "You've been watching everypony sparring and didn't like it, but you really liked us?"

"Aye, 'tis the gist of my statement," Zircon said with a smile. "Thou hast a unique style compared to the others I hath seen thus far. Thou hast a purpose in thy movements, a power behind thine actions. I commend thee on thy training and skill; thou wouldst be a fearsome opponent.

"And for thee," he said, turning to the mare, "'tis unusual to findeth a pony trained in any of the Zeb'ra'den styles of hoof-to-hoof combat, and for a mare such as thee to be trained in that particular style. Thine instructor wouldst be proud of thy technique, as proud as any master wouldst be of a student who doth possess such skill."

The mare held up her hoof. "Hoo doggie, I ain't understood a word y'all just said there. I mean, I caught a thing or two 'bout hoofs 'n' zebras 'n' styles but ya sprinkled it with a bunch o' words I just ain't gettin'. Shoot, I thought Luna was bad."

Zircon raised an eyebrow; the mare's accent was a thick Newhaven drawl, which was… unfortunate, as he'd always had trouble understanding it. "Wouldst I be correct in assuming that thou didst not understanding my meaning?"

"Uh, I think so. What's wit' all the 'thou' stuff? Like, what in the hay does 'doth' mean?"

"It's Old Equish," the stallion explained. "The zebras don't use Modern Equish. 'Thou' means 'you', 'doth' means 'does'."

The mare let out an amused snort. "Shucks, alright then, so it is just like Luna, only… uh, moreso." She turned back to Zircon. "So, uh… I guess ya said somethin' 'bout likin' my style or somethin' there, Mister Thou?"

Zircon tilted his head. "'Mister Thou'?"

"Yup. 'swhat I'm gonna call ya 'till ya feel like tellin' me yer name there, buckaroo."

Zircon wanted to ask what in the world a "buckaroo" was. Maybe later.

"Ah! Apologies. In mine excitement I didst forget to properly introduce myself." Zircon cleared his throat and nodded his head respectfully. "I am Sir Zircon of the Knights of the Black Flame, sworn protectors of Zeb'ra'den. I hath come here to Hope's Point on diplomatic business; Ambassador Zultan didst request my presence at this summit in an advisory role."

"Ohhh, you're one of the delegates that arrived earlier," the stallion said with a grin. "You probably already met my wife then. Ambassador Gray Skies?"

"Truly?" Zircon said, eyes slightly wide; oh yes, he had met the pegasus ambassador. She was most impressive. "The giantess hath claimed thee as her husband?"

The stallion let out a loud laugh. "Ha! Giantess! Yes, you've definitely met my wife. And yeah, she definitely, uh, 'claimed' me. I mean, you've met her, do you really think any stallion would be able to say 'no' if she walked up to 'em and said 'you, you're mine now'? 'Cause I didn't."

Zircon laughed as well. "Aha! Thou art an amusing fellow, good sir, with a fine taste in mares. What is thy name?"

"Flathoof," the stallion said, offering his hoof to Zircon; Zircon took it and gave it a shake, as they had the gesture even in Zeb'ra'den. "Captain Flathoof, if we're being formal. I don't know how that stacks up against a knight or anything."

"Hmm. I am unacquainted with military ranks here in Hope's Point, but if 'tis anything like the captain of a ship, thou art an important sort, Captain Flathoof. A pleasure to make thine acquaintance." He turned to the mare. "And thou art?"

The mare rubbed her temple. "Shoot, it's like listenin' ta Golden Dawn if'n she started recitin' them fancy Shake Spear plays back home," she grumbled. With a smile though, she offered her hoof to Zircon as well, but in the traditional masculine sense, appropriate as she seemed like a soldier. "Name's Applejack. Just Applejack."

Zircon nodded as he took and shook her hoof. "And a pleasure to make thine acquaintance as well, 'just' Applejack. Might I ask who hath instructed thee in the fifth style of zebra hoof-to-hoof combat? The thought hast been in my head ever since I didst observe thy sparring."

"Uh, I don't know nothin' 'bout no zebra styles or whatnot. I learned how ta scrap from my brother. A mare's gotta know how ta protect herself, yessir."

"Aha." Zircon turned to Flathoof. "Then thou hast taught her well, Captain."

Flathoof held up a hoof. "I'm not her brother. Not really, anyhow. We're close like brother and sister, but there's no blood there." With a look to Applejack, he added, "Though this wouldn't be the first time somepony's confused me for your brother, right? First time it's come from a stranger at least."

"Heh. Right," chuckled Applejack.

Zircon nodded. "Hmm. Well, then if I should never get a chance to meet thy brother, Applejack, wouldst tell commend him for me, for training thee so well?"

"I mean, sure, I guess? Y'all thought it was that good, huh?"

"Quite good, yes. Not perfect, but mine eyes do not lie: there is much skill in thy technique. More practice can only benefit thee further."

"That's what we've been doing," Flathoof said with a nod. "Practicing. She's getting a lot better, and faster too." He rolled his left shoulder, rubbing it with his right. "And she hits like a damn sack of bricks."

Zircon smiled at Applejack. "Well, then I am most curious. Applejack, wouldst thou indulge me with a spar?"

Applejack looked at him wide-eyed. "Uh, ya wanna spar wit' me?"

"That was the gist of my question. I hath trained extensively in the fourth style of combat, which hast been acknowledged by many as the superior form compared to first, second, and third. Fifth, however, didst develop as a counter to the fourth; I wouldst like to see how thou farest against me."

"Uh… sure, if ya think ya can handle me. I warn ya now, I pack a mean kick."

Zircon stepped over to the bench where there was ample room to remove some of his gear, namely his armor—his runic sword was required to remain in his guest chambers unless he was "on duty" as Her Majesty put it—and his cloak. This left him in just his under armor, a simple cloth tunic which only served the purpose of preventing chafing of leather against coat and skin.

He and Applejack stepped to opposite sides of the small "ring" that their training area consisted of, and didn't waste time settling into fighting stances. She was low to the ground, hindquarters slightly raised for leverage; she couldn't move fast from side to side in the stance, but that's not what the style was meant for.

It was meant to hit hard, which was why it countered fourth style so well, as the basic stance that Zircon adopted was built around defending from weaker, quicker blows and striking back at what was typically a smaller opponent. A strong enough blow typically would force him to either back off or hope he was strong enough to block it.

Applejack moved first, leaping forward and swiveling in mid-air so that when she landed, she could deliver a powerful kick with her hind legs. Zircon braced himself for the blow, protecting his neck and chin with his hooves. He could feel the power from her blow when her hooves impacted his; a lesser zebra than he would have probably ended up with a bruised ankle, or worse.

Impressive.

But, because her technique still needed some work, she wasn't as quick leaping back into a defensive position—or maybe she was just surprised that he'd taken the blow straight-on like that—and that left her vulnerable. He was able to push her hindlegs away and knock her off her balance, which left her open to a blow to the ribs from the side.

She was fast, though, so his strike didn't hit with full-contact, just a glancing blow. And she was quick to respond in kind, swinging her legs around to try and hit him in the side of the head. He only barely raised his hoof to block it, and he was glad that she didn't have the proper leverage to hit with the same power as her earlier strike; even for him, that would've hurt.

The back-and-forth trading of blows continued for a few minutes, and Zircon was honestly impressed not just that she was keeping up with him, but that he was able to handle her strength. A master of the fifth style, with her strength behind it, should be breaking him in half. She was strong, but unrefined, and that just made her interesting; with proper training, she'd be as good of a fighter as most of the Order.

His real advantage in this sparring session wasn't entirely due to experience or skill, but more that she wasn't fighting at her best, having finished sparring with Captain Flathoof moments ago. He wasn't surprised when she decided to pull back and lift her forehooves up to indicate that she wanted to stop.

"Hoo boy… y'all sure know what you're doin' there," she breathed as she wobbled over to the bench to take a drink of water. She even winced and put a hoof to her ribs; he'd grazed her there more than a few times. "Land sakes, you don't hold back neither, do ya?"

"Bringing anything less than one's best to a sparring contest is an insult to thine opponent," Zircon said with a firm nod. "I wouldst not disparage thy skill by giving to thee anything less than my best."

"Well shucks, I hope y'all don't mind that I wasn't quite fightin' like I should've been, then. Flats 'n' I were trainin' fer maybe an hour 'fore you showed up. I'm pooped, I tell ya what."

Zircon smiled. "Then perhaps we shalt spar again when thou art not 'pooped'. 'Tis an exciting prospect. I might require stretches prior to our duel, lest I pull a muscle."

She laughed, then held her rib again. "Ha, d-don't make me laugh, Mister Thou. It smarts somethin' fierce."

His smile became more of a smirk; he understood enough about pony culture to know that some ponies liked to give nicknames to others as a showing of respect and camaraderie, typically something humorous. So he did not mind the "Mister Thou" moniker. He would need to think of one that he could give to her, a showing of mutual respect of course.

"I think we're all done for the day, AJ," Flathoof said, patting Applejack on the shoulder. "Why don't you go hit the showers."

Aha. "AJ". 'Tis a clever nickname, as it doth use her initials, Zircon thought. Though it might hath more of a personal nature to it. I shouldst not use it myself lest I offend her.

Applejack nodded, rolled her shoulders, and hopped off the bench. She smiled and offered a hoof to Zircon before she left to… "hit the showers", whatever that meant. "Nice meetin' ya, Zircon. You sure know how ta scrap, an' that's the truth."

Zircon shook her hoof and smiled back. "And thee as well, Applejack, if I am correct that 'scrap' means 'fight'. With more practice, thou wouldst be a fine warrior indeed." A pause. "Shouldst thou wishest for further advice and training, I am to be here in Hope's Point for several days' time."

She tilted her head. "You offerin' ta help wit' my trainin'?"

"Aye. If I am not otherwise preoccupied with my duties, I wouldst not be opposed to lending mine expertise to thee."

"Well shucks, that's mighty kind o' y'all." She leaned over slightly. "That alright wit' you, Flats?"

Flathoof nodded. "Hey, the way I see it, you need all the help you can get, rookie," he chuckled.

"Har har."

Applejack hopped over the rope-like fence and made her way towards a different section of the barracks, leaving Zircon alone with Flathoof. Zircon watched her go and noted, quietly to himself, that a mare like her was quite a rarity indeed, even amongst zebras. By sheer happenstance he'd come across some sort of pony prodigy. An amusing coincidence that he was here, in this city, in this building, at this time.

The good captain gave Zircon a polite nod. "Hey, I appreciate that offer of yours, if you're serious about it. Applejack's got plenty of reason to want to fight at her best, so I mean it: all the help she can get, she needs."

Zircon raised an eyebrow. "Is she going to war?"

"In a way. You'll learn more about it at the summit tomorrow." Flathoof clapped Zircon on the shoulder and gave him a wide grin. "And hey, as the husband of the giantess ambassador, welcome to Hope's Point."

Zircon shared a laugh with Flathoof, glad to see that maybe these northerners weren't all so bad after all. At least some of them knew how to fight like a true warrior. He would very much enjoy spending more with these two, that he could say for certain.

Chapter Nineteen: Reverence

Gray Skies had never been to the particular meeting chamber that the summit was being held in before. Usually when she had meetings with Blackburn and/or Lockwood, they would either take place in one of the smaller, private meeting rooms, or else they'd meet over lunch at a restaurant. Gray had even sat in on a few Council sessions before in their meeting chamber, but that room was different too.

The summit was being held in a room that Gray supposed was meant to appeal to southern customs. It was similar to the Council chamber in that sense, with a central table surrounded by chairs, but there was a clearer hierarchy to the seating arrangements. The Council table was just a simple round table sort of deal—though the table was rectangular and felt more like a long desk—while the table here was a long rectangle with a raised platform at one end.

Blackburn herself sat on an ornate chair upon the raised platform, as she was the ruler of the city and thus deserved "head of the table" accommodations. This was unlike her usual, equality-based ruling system, but then the southerners were used to having the heads of their noble households treated as a step beyond the others. Everypony else was seated along the sides of the table, except for Lockwood, who sat at the opposite end in an ornate chair of his own, though his chair wasn't raised like his wife's was.

And then there was the young Serendipity sitting in a small chair in a darkened corner of the room, quietly observing everything that was happening. Nopony even knew she was there, except for Dawn, Gray, Blackburn, and Lockwood. And so long as she stayed quiet, it would stay that way.

Even the seating arrangements at the table had to be very particular. The table was big enough to easily accommodate five ponies to a side, and three ponies and two zebras—the visiting southern delegates, and Zircon—sat on one side. Opposite them sat Golden Dawn and Gray Skies… and that was it. They were the only two representatives of the north, after all, apart from Blackburn and Lockwood, who had special treatment.

Southern traditions were weird.

The meeting was called to order and Blackburn went through all of the boring-but-necessary steps to begin the summit according to southern customs, which meant that while Gadget sat in a corner taking down the entire meeting like a stenographer, Crossfire—as a servant of the crown—rattled off titles of introduction for everypony present.

Blackburn's was particularly impressive: Her Majesty Queen Blackburn of Hope's Point, the Iron Queen, Daughter of King Stormchaser, Breaker of Fleets, Mistress of the Open Skies, Head of the Council, Crown of the North Upon Which the Jewel Rests, Watcher Over All.

Gray's was not nearly as robust: Ambassador Gray Skies, Representative of New Pandemonium, Daughter of Lord Silvertongue, Vanquisher of Evil.

But then Gray knew she hadn't really done anything particularly impressive in her life, and the one "impressive" thing on her list she shared with Dawn anyway. Not that she cared, but she wondered how one obtained all those fancy titles and what they all meant in some cases.

Naturally, once the meeting's traditional opening remarks were complete, the questions immediately started flying. "What nonsense is dis, yah?" Lord Golden Shield quipped, gesturing at Gray and Dawn with his hoof. "Dis 'Daughter of Lord Silvertongue' nonsense. Dat some sort of order you ladies joined or somethin'? It's not a cult, is it?"

"On the contrary," Dawn replied with a polite grin. "It applies just as equally as the titles of lineage apply to the rest of you. My sister and I are as much daughters of our father as any of you are of your fathers and mothers." A pause. "Adopted, of course."

"Which puts them in a similar boat as me," said Lockwood with a polite smile.

"And dat just makes it sound like more nonsense, if ya don't my sayin' so. Lord Silvertongue 'adopted' dese mares? You know how ridiculous dat sounds?"

"Lord Silvertongue has been dead fer centuries," added Lord Skycatcher. "Now I can understand y'all lookin' ta him as a hero worth regardin' as a father figure. Ain't nopony knows much about what's been happenin' up there in yer big ol' city, so maybe y'all formed a cult or somethin'. Ya know it ain't really Lord Silvertongue that's adopted y'all, right?"

"Again, I must insist that you are quite mistaken in that regard," Dawn said, adjusting her glasses; she looked like she was starting to get annoyed, and honestly Gray couldn't blame her on this one. "There will be proof provided shortly, but that will be after Her Majesty Queen Blackburn presents this gathering with the information that facilitated a need for this summit."

Lady Silverluck, who Gray knew was already aware of the truth, nodded firmly. "I agree. Let them provide their proof once we have an understanding of why we're here in the first place. Surely there is a reason that their presence is needed here, and I would like to know why."

Golden Shield squared his jaw a bit, then nodded. "Yah, fair enough cher." He turned to Blackburn. "Apologies, Your Majesty."

Blackburn shook her head. "Not necessary, understand completely. But yes, must begin summit discussions proper. Summit has been called for two reasons: first, to present information that impacts world's safety and well-being; second, to present information that changes worldviews of southern nobility. Second reason is complex, multi-layered, hence will be presented second.

"First piece of information concerning, and as-said, relates to survival of our world. Question: are any of you aware of what a 'Chronomancer' is?"

The southern delegates all looked to one another and grumbled and whispered slightly. It was Ambassador Zultan who spoke, oddly enough. "There art tales in many southern houses even in Zeb'ra'den, tales of strange ponies who doth travel the land performing strange rituals, and who liveth apart from others and scareth away those who came near. Hermits. They didst call themselves Kronomagi, which soundeth similar to this 'Chronomancer'. Be they related?"

Blackburn nodded. "One and the same. Generations of tales passed down corrupted title, apparently."

"Those are just stories fer lil' foals, though," said Skycatcher, looking very confused. "Ain't nopony seen one o' them sorts since 'fore the Beacons went up, an' even then it was just a rumor."

"Because they have resided exclusively in the north since. Job requirement. Do not have one present to explain in better detail; she is on a mission."

"Wait, you're saying these 'Chronomancers' are real?" asked Silverluck, eyes wide. "You know one? Personally?"

Gray found a bit of amusement in the fact that this knowledge was so mystifying to the southerners. Lockwood didn't just know one, he'd roomed with one for a few months and slept on the couch so that she could sleep in a comfortable bed.

"Correct. She has provided grave news for us all. Will repeat as… clearly as possible." Blackburn took a breath. "Our world is dying. The Darkness is overwhelming the Light, and soon an outside force, the Void, will consume everything and everyone. In thirty-six days, our world will be destroyed by this outside force. Nothing can stop it; it will happen.

"However, there is a solution: we abandon this world and move to another. The Chronomancer has provided details on how to go about this task, and we need the southern ponies and zebras to work together with us to make it happen. Should we succeed, we will all live; should we fail, we all die. This is non-negotiable; the summit is not to ask permission, it is to discuss solutions."

There was a long pause once Blackburn had finished, followed by Golden Shield abruptly rising from his seat. "What proof do you have of dese here wild claims, hmm?"

"Without Chronomancer present, cannot provide more details. She is on a mission, will return soon, can provide more details."

"And what kind o' mission she on dat's more important dan tellin' us what's goin' on? Hmm?"

"Seeking information to help us. Ancient history provides clues, hence the request for your historical records."

"Form a period in time where writing things down was considered unnecessary and time-consuming," quipped Silverluck. "Ponies didn't start keeping detailed written records until shortly before the civil war in the south, and that's well after the period you were asking for information on."

"Regrettable, and hopefully unnecessary."

"You're serious about this?" asked Skycatcher. "You're really serious? The whole world's gonna end?"

"Yes. And if we don't act, we will too."

Skycatcher hummed and nodded. "Well, this here claim o' yers is way outta my comfort zone, I tell ya what. My first instinct is ta call ya a liar and say you're just tryin' ta scare us so ya can get more power or somethin'. But I know you, Queen Blackburn, and I know that ain't somethin' you'd do." Another nod. "So I believe ya."

"I'm also inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt for now, Your Majesty," said Silverluck with a nod of her own.

Ambassador Zultan tapped his hooves together under his nose, then nodded as well. "I should like to knoweth more about this before agreeing to anything that thou dost claim, but I hath no reason not to hear what thou hast to say on the subject. Our peoples in the past hath done great things to ensure our world survives; I can at least listen."

Golden Shield sighed, shaking his head and leaning back in his seat. "Dis here story's crazy, but alright, I'll give ya a chance ta tell us more 'bout what ya expect from us. I don't like dat dere 'non-negotiable' comment, but if it's really dat serious, I get it."

Blackburn nodded appreciatively. "Excellent. Time for debate is later, not now. As for solutions, have discussed one already with allies. We can present it now." She nodded at Crossfire, who moved to the door and cracked it open. "Fair warning: more surprises incoming."

Indeed, Gray could see the looks of surprise on the delegates' faces when Lorekeeper Gilderoy walked into the room. He was dressed in a resplendent new robe, purple like his old one and accented with gold, and with a high collar. Gray was absolutely certain that Rarity had made it for him, even without asking for confirmation. All of his tech had been upgraded and replaced by now, too; the gryphon looked as healthy and able-bodied as anyone else in the room.

"Greetings to all of our gathered guests," the old gryphon said with a polite nod. "I am Lorekeeper Gilderoy. I must say, it's a pleasure to be here and to look upon the faces of southerners once again in such a capacity. Particularly zebras! To gather you all here for this purpose, dire as the situation is, well… I never thought that I'd see anything like this ever again."

The old gryphon then took a seat at the table, separate from Dawn and Gray, but on their side where there was room.

"You're… a gryphon," said Silverluck flatly, her eyes blinking. "A real gryphon."

"No way that's a real gryphon," Skycatcher said with a grin. "It's gotta be some sort of illusion—"

Gilderoy dispelled that notion immediately by taking the stallion's hoof briefly in his metal talon and giving it a little shake. "No illusion, no matter how potent, can simulate physical contact."

Skycatcher's eyes widened as he stared at his hoof, even after Gilderoy had released him. "Hot damn, y'all're real. A real gryphon." He shook his head. "But… but I thought—"

"And you thought correctly. The gryphon race is no more; I am the last of my kind, and I lack the… hmm, the 'equipment' with which I would, shall we say, propagate the species."

Gray had to stifle a laugh every time he said it like that, as it was wildly inappropriate and insensitive for her to do so, but damn if she couldn't help but remember how Havoc had reacted when she'd heard it the other day: "You mean your balls don't work?" Havoc certainly had a way with words… and about as much tact as a slug.

At least Gilderoy had been a good sport about it.

"If thou art truly the last of the gryphons, Lorekeeper, mayhap thou canst tell us exactly what happened?" asked Ambassador Zultan. "We hath heard that the once-great city of Aeropolis was abandoned and that no trace of the gryphons had ever been found, no clues as to what fate had befallen thee and thy people."

Gilderoy sighed and nodded. "I can tell you, certainly. However, there is another who wished to perform that task, and I find it appropriate that he be the one to tell you. I'll give the floor to him."

"Thank you, Lorekeeper," came the voice of Silvertongue, perfectly in unison with Dawn's.

Nopony had noticed Silvertongue's appearance, as it was a sudden, instantaneous thing with absolutely no detectable signs of happening before it happened. Gray found it slightly amusing that her father had such a keen sense for dramatic timing and could make himself appear at just the right time to pop into the conversation when it would be most impactful. She had to wonder if he enjoyed it.

Naturally the shocked reactions of the delegates was roughly equal as it had been when Gilderoy entered the room. While Lady Silverluck's reaction was much more subdued due to having met Gray's father already, it was Ambassador Zultan and Sir Zircon who more than made up for it, their eyes wide with sheer awe.

"What the hell?" Skycatcher blurted, nearly falling out of his seat. "Who's this? What's goin' on here?"

"Apologies if I startled anypony," Silvertongue said with a light smile. "I understand that my appearance can be quite striking the first time you see it. My daughter, Dawn, is able to channel this astral projection of mine for me, as she is my Warden; that will be explained in due time.

"I will otherwise cut to the chase, however: you already know who I am, you just don't know that you do. I am Lord Silvertongue, formerly of House Silver, now something much more. But you can see that for yourself, of course."

"Bullshit," quipped Golden Shield, his face hard and angry. "What kind o' joke ya playin' here, Shadow Associate? Ya think dis is funny?"

"It's not an illusion spell," Silverluck said calmly. "The Shadow Associate's horn isn't glowing. This is an astral projection of Lord Silvertongue himself. And yes, it's really him; I spoke with him yesterday and confirmed his identity then. He knew information pertaining to our family's genealogy that he couldn't know unless he were who he says he is."

"Spent time yesterday to save time today," Blackburn said with a nod. "Easier to confirm with one individual than with five."

"I, too, confirm his identity," said Gilderoy. "I am unique amongst those present here in that I knew Lord Silvertongue personally in the distant past and can confirm any claims he might make that you might not necessarily believe." With a look towards Gray and Dawn, he added, "And as such, the claims of these two are also legitimate: they are indeed his daughters, via… adoption, if that is the term they wish to use."

Zultan and Zircon both immediately pushed back their chairs so that they could rise to their hooves and then subsequently bow low, so low that their noses nearly touched the floor. "Hail! Lord Silvertongue hath blessed us with his presence," Zultan said, not removing his nose from the floor. "What wouldst thou asketh of us, My Lord?"

"The hell are you two doin'?" asked Golden Shield, tilting his head.

"The zebras consider Lord Silvertongue as one of their greatest heroes," explained Silverluck. "To them, he's essentially an honorary zebra warrior of the highest caliber."

"I get dat part, cher, but—"

"Imagine if one of their most revered, ancient warriors suddenly appeared before them… which is exactly what's happening, actually. Say it was someone as influential as Princess Zarya herself. They revere their greatest warriors as just a step below deific; they're more than mere mortals to them."

"That's not entirely inaccurate, though I'd say that I actually am deific now," Silvertongue said with a grin, spreading out his translucent wings. "Rise, my zebra friends. There is no need for such reverence here. Believe me when I say that I hardly deserve it."

The two zebras rose as asked, though gave each other odd looks; clearly Silvertongue's last words confused them.

"I still don't rightly understand what's goin' on here," said Skycatcher. "My Lord Silvertongue, it is an honor an' a pleasure ta meet you, but uh… you'll have ta forgive me if'n I don't quite get what ta make o' this here situation we find ourselves in. This is a lot ta take in."

"Perfectly understandable, and I am more than able and willing to explain it. However, it is worth noting that there are some details in my tale that some here will find disturbing, and other details that might inspire… outrage," Silvertongue said, his gaze briefly sweeping over Golden Shield. "I would ask that everyone remain silent until I have told the entire story."

Since everyone seemed to be in agreement, Silvertongue then told them everything that had happened here in the north once the war had been won, just as he'd told Silverluck. From sending Princess Zarya of Zeb'ra'den back home to build and guard the southern Beacon, to his deceiving of Nihila to earn a place as her Warden, to proving his loyalty by exterminating the gryphons, to the murder of Lady Golden Heart, all the way up until the events of seven years ago, in detail.

"And now we find ourselves here, with Nihila still at large in some capacity and evading my sight through means unknown," Silvertongue concluded. "It is a source of tremendous consternation that after everything I have done in the name of balance, of security, Nihila managed to slither out from the jaws of defeat and even now is attempting to destroy us all."

After a moment of silence, Golden Shield rose up and planted his hooves firmly on the table. "I hope you understand, My Lord Silvertongue, dat after everything you just said, dere ain't no way in hell that I trust you, yer family, or anypony associated wit' you, and never will ever again."

Golden Shield then wheeled on Silverluck. "And you. Your family and mine are no longer friends, and we are no longer allies. Your ancestor is a traitor who slew my ancestor in cold blood, murdered her and left her body to rot. Unforgivable, and grounds for war."

Silverluck stared him down. "Absolutely, I agree. My family's legacy is built upon a lie that we have unknowingly perpetuated for generations. However, I must advise against hostilities. Embroiling the southern continent in war just to satiate your misguided thirst for what you call 'justice' will do nothing to solve our current predicament.

"But, if it's war that you wish to bring to our doorstep, then that is your right to do so, and my father will accept this and meet our house's forces against yours on the battlefield. We will not do so gladly, and we will take no pleasure in putting your house to the sword. House Silver's legacy may have been built upon a lie, but know this: our military prowess is based in facts."

"Hmph. You talk big, but I guess I shouldn't expect anythin' less from somepony related to dis genocidal monster here. Just another braggadocious, pompous ass who thinks too highly of herself. I'm disgusted knowin' that my son lays with you, dat I have a grandson that shares your tainted blood. Thank Harmonia that there aren't more of your filthy spawn runnin' around."

"Don't flatter Goldenglow, My Lord. Your son has only ever laid with me once," Silverluck scoffed, looking the larger stallion up and down with contempt. "He's not a real stallion any more than his chest-pounding fool of a father is, whose wife only lays with him on the promise of baubles and trinkets."

Golden Shield rose up and snarled. "You would dare insult my wife? At least she lays only wit' me, unlike my son's wife who is so desperate to fill her cavernous quim—"

"Enough! Both of you!" snapped Gilderoy of all creatures, drawing attention from everyone else in the room; Gray was only a little disappointed, having quite enjoyed the back-and-forth.

"If anyone in this room has any reason to truly be personally angered by the actions of Lord Silvertongue, it is I who deserves that right, not you," the old bird said, addressing Golden Shield specifically. "You think that you have been wronged because he murdered a single member of your family in cold blood? A pony whom you never knew personally? Pah! That you would go to war over this is troubling; have you ponies truly advanced so little since the gryphons left the south?

"Everyone I once knew is dead. My brother, Gilliam. My sisters, Griselda and Glyndis. All of my colleagues who I worked with over fifty years of my life, fellow Elders of the Aeropolis Senate, pupils who I had taught and come to view as sons and daughters." Gilderoy shook his head. "You know nothing of loss, Lord Golden Shield, and to insinuate that you have been wronged so greatly is an insult to every gryphon that Lord Silvertongue murdered.

"But now is not the time for your petty squabbles over the death of a single mare, no more than it is time to provide vengeance for the tens of thousands of gryphon souls who cry out for justice. Our world is in danger, My Lords, My Lady. If we do not act together as one, then our final days will be spent at each other's throats and Nihila will have had the last laugh after all."

Gilderoy then sat forcefully back in his seat, leaving a rather bewildered Golden Shield and Silverluck still standing. The two southern nobles then grumbled silently to themselves, and meekly retook their seats, thoroughly cowed like a couple of arguing teenagers whose grandfather had just scolded them. Gray was impressed; she couldn't have done it better herself.

"Thank you, Lorekeeper," said SIlvertongue with a short nod.

"I didn't do it for you," Gilderoy snorted back.

"I know. I am not thanking you on my behalf, but on the behalf of those who will survive thanks to your well-heeded words."

Ambassador Zultan cleared his throat. "Am I to understand, then, that thou hast a plan to save our world once again, My Lord Silvertongue?"

"We do, Ambassador," Silvertongue replied, tilting his head towards Gilderoy. "Credit where credit is due."

"I'm surprised that you're willin' ta just go along wit' whatever plan he has," Skycatcher grunted, glancing at Zultan and Zircon. "I know I ain't been wronged personally by what he's done in the past, but I don't know how much I wanna follow any plan he's got considerin' where that led."

"A valid concern, and a well-deserved strike against me and my trustworthiness," Silvertongue said with a simple nod. "However, this plan was developed as a joint effort between myself and Lorekeeper Gilderoy here, and I will admit that the efforts were mostly his own, for he is more acquainted with the Beacons than anyone, myself included."

"'Tis irrelevant," Zultan said with a firm nod. "Thou art Lord Silvertongue, friend to the mighty Warrior Princess Zarya, vanquisher of the forces of evil. I hath heard thy tale and yes, 'tis a grisly story that doth end in heartache and pain. But I hath considered the alternatives; hadst thou not done with thou didst, 'twould be possible that none of us wouldst draw breath today.

"Thou art an enemy of Nihila first and foremost, and 'tis good enough reason for me to believe that thou wouldst go to any lengths to end her reign. Were Princess Zrya still alive today, 'twould be no surprise were she to taketh up her lance to join thee again in battle." Zultan thumped his hoof over his chest. "Zeb'ra'den stands with thee, My Lord Silvertongue."

Silvertongue tilted his head. "I believe that I made it clear that Zarya would not have stood by while I committed the acts of evil that I needed to commit in order to destroy Nihila. It was why I ensured that she remained in the south as long as necessary; I knew that she would raise an army to stop me."

Zultan nodded. "And she wouldst again, and so shalt we, shouldst thou giveth us reason to do so. Nihila is an enemy of all, and we shalt standeth with thee to oppose her, but we shalt not tolerate betrayal. Judgment of such an ancient wrong is not ours to deliver, and punishment doth not seem possible."

"Hmm. Well spoken, Ambassador, well spoken. You possess much wisdom and strength of will for one so young." Silvertongue nodded as well, then turned to Gilderoy. "Lorekeeper, if you would?"

Gilderoy leaned forward and steepled his talons under his beak. "The main crux of our problem is finding Nihila, and subsequently destroying her for good. As Silvertongue's tale no doubt made clear, Nihila somehow survived the ritual that attempted to destroy her, even with the assistance of some potent wielders of the Light.

"I believe that in order to truly vanquish Nihila, we need a more powerful Light to do so. This Light, naturally, would be Harmonia, whose Light should be potent enough to not only subdue and destroy Nihila, but to do so so utterly that we can proceed with the Chronomancer's relocation plan safely." Gilderoy shook his head and sighed. "And therein lies another problem."

"The Beacons," Silvertongue continued. "Their energies divide our world into its two halves so utterly that even the Dreaming is affected, and as such Harmonia has had no knowledge or influence in northern progress or goings-on in centuries. So long as the Beacons stand, Harmonia cannot help us here."

"Thus, we must deactivate the Beacons," Gilderoy said with a nod. "This summit's primary purpose was to inform the southern nobility of our plan so that we could lay a groundwork and save time in debate and discourse later."

Silvertongue looked at the pony nobles. "You three are the most powerful nobles in pony society, and can convince Harmonia's current Warden to grant you an audience with Harmonia herself so that she can listen to our plan and then support it. I have no doubts in my mind that Harmonia will agree to it once she hears all of the information you learn here today."

He then turned to Zultan and Zircon. "As for you, Ambassador, you can send word ahead to King Zaratite so that he and his court will already have debated amongst themselves by the time our own delegates arrive to negotiate a deal with him." He gestured at Blackburn. "Her Majesty's good relations with your people will also help in that regard."

Silverluck looked between herself, Golden Shield, and Skycatcher, and the three of them nodded, almost in unison. "We can do that, My Lord Silvertongue," she said. "And I, too, have no doubts that Harmonia will agree to this plan. She backed you before to put an end to Nihila's rampage of destruction, she will surely do so again."

"Indeed."

"And while His Majesty King Zaratite might resisteth the demands and requests of most ponies, particularly the false Warden of Harmonia, there is little doubt that he wouldst listen to the words of the great Lord Silvertongue," Zultan said, thumping his chest again. "'Twill be a simple matter, in that regard, at least one canst hope."

Silvertongue raised an eyebrow. "'False' Warden?"

"Aye. The last pony to holdeth the title was thee, and the position was never officially vacated. In Zeb'ra'den, thou art still considered Harmonia's Warden." A pause. "Naturally thy story changes things, but 'tis the case in the south at present."

"What about the northern Beacon, My Lord?" asked Skycatcher, scratching his chin. "The Beacon o' the south sounds like it's all settled up. Might take some time ta get through all the politics 'n' such, but it'll work. How 'bout the north?"

"That is a source of consternation as well," Silvertongue grunted, shaking his head. "The northern Beacon cannot be safely deactivated, not by me. I could destroy it, certainly, but that would defeat the purpose of trying to save as many lives as we can; the Beacon's destruction would create an explosion of magical energy that would kill thousands and spread toxic magic elsewhere."

"He is trying not to perform a repeat performance of Aeropolis," Gilderoy grunted, more than a little bitterness in his tone. "How commendable."

Silvertongue ignored his comments. "To deactivate the Beacon, I would require Nihila's power itself, as it was her magic that fueled the Beacon in the first place and still does today. My magic is a combination of hers and my own, and my own has too much Light within it to work; it requires a source of pure Darkness, as Nihila is."

"I doubt you could trick her into deactivating the Beacon," Silverluck scoffed. "She fell for your plans once before, My Lord. No doubt she would be wary of any attempt to convince her that it is in her best interests."

"Correct. Luckily, we have another source of pure Darkness equally as powerful as Nihila was."

"You do? What? Who?"

"That would be me, little one," came the voice of Pandemonia as she stepped out of the darkness in the corner of the room.

The southerners all jumped at once at the sudden appearance of not just another alicorn in the room, but one with a physical body. The only reason the northerners hadn't jumped is that they'd all known she was there the entire time, carefully observing the discussion so that she could learn more about the southern societies, unfiltered and raw.

"Wh-who is this?" Silverluck asked, pointing nervously at the tall, dark alicorn. "Another alicorn? How?"

Gray was glad on a personal level they could at least avoid all of the accusations about Pandemonia actually being Nihila; the alicorn goddess was… a friend, and the accusations seemed to hurt her deeply. None of these ponies or zebras knew what Nihila looked like, because like Harmonia herself they had no real physical forms until seven years ago, and Harmonia hadn't joined the Physical Alicorn Club yet.

"I am Pandemonia, Alicorn of the Moons, Goddess of Adversity," the dark alicorn mare said, her voice calm and soothing despite her imposing appearance. "From what I have come to understand, none of you know who I am or would even recognize the name or titles I have just given you. Is that correct?"

The southern delegates, all still in awe, shook their heads in almost comical unison.

"A pity. I had hoped to glean some more information from the ponies of my homeland, but it would seem that I truly have been forgotten by history." Pandemonia sighed, then gave the delegates all a small, warm smile. "It is not your fault. But I do sense a great deal of confusion from all of you. Allow me to explain."

Pandemonia then gave the delegates the rundown that she had already given to everypony else who knew her story, namely that she had been the sister of Harmonia in ages long past, and that her Warden was lured to the minotaur kingdom in the north. After that, more than two thousand years of nothing, until one day she woke up here, in Hope's Point, with no memory of the time in between now and the memory of her Warden's arrival in Athenos, and no explanation as to why or what happened.

Blackburn then chimed in, "Have an expedition team seeking Athenos now; Chronomancer is with them. Answers may be found, provide us with information, context."

"I agree with this course of action, and am glad you're already taking care of it, Your Majesty," said Silverluck with a firm nod. "If this story is true, then I would very much like to know what happened that our entire southern culture came to suddenly begin acknowledging Nihila, rather than Pandemonia."

"Even we zebras knoweth nothing of Pandemonia's history," mused Zultan. "'Twas not until the civil war that Zeb'r'aden didst even accept Harmonia and Nihila as part of our pantheon in full. Before then, only minor sects that paid them reverence, and no records pertain to Pandemonia even then."

"If I might ask, O Pandemonia," said Skycatcher with a slight bow. "How is that Nihila has the same sort o' Darkness as you do?"

"I know not," Pandemonia said with a frown, looking at the ceiling. "I only hope that the explorers return with some answers. My memories are still clouded even from before my long sleep, but some glimpses here and there of the old south peek through at times. Nothing clear enough to help, but… enough to alleviate my woes that I had forgotten everything."

"So, if I'm understandin' dis right," said Golden Shield, hooves steepled under his chin, "the plan is ta get Harmonia ta put out the southern Beacon? An' den Pandemonia here, she can do the same wit' the northern Beacon, yah?"

"That is the plan we have, yes," Silvertongue said with a nod. "The timing will need to be exact, so we will take great pains to ensure that all parties are agreed in the south first, then we might arrange a proper 'schedule', so to speak."

"The timing needs to be exact, or at least relatively close, because if one of the Beacons is left 'on' for too long, the already-deadly imbalance of the world will simply become worse," Gilderoy added, strolling his beard. "Everything must be carried forward with great care and caution."

Silvertongue sighed. "And yet we must also hurry the plan along, for if Nihila should decide to make her move while we are all still making arrangements, then everything will likely be for naught."

The southern delegates conferred quietly amongst themselves for a few brief moments—just for show really, since they all knew the plan needed to happen—before breaking apart.

"We, the southern delegation, are in agreement wit' this here plan," Skycatcher said, hoof over his heart. "We'll start makin' arrangements immediately ta prepare fer whatever negotiations need ta be made to work this all out. I take it that Pandemonia will be coming with us?"

Pandemonia sighed and shook her head. "I cannot. The Beacons' magic will prevent me from doing so, much as they prevent my sister from reaching out to me here in the north. Until these contraptions are gone, we can never be united."

"Hmm. Sounds like we got our work cut out fer us, then."

"In the meantime," continued Silverluck, "we're in agreement that we ourselves shall remain here in Hope's Point until this 'expedition team' returns to the city, in the hopes that they will have new information for us that might help enlighten those we are trying to convince of this admittedly fantastical tale."

"Dey ain't all here like we are," said Golden Shield. "We can hardly believe all dis ourselves, and we're hearin' it straight from the horse's mouth as it were, yah? Gonna be a bit harder ta make sure other folks accept it. But I s'pose we're gonna have ta do our best."

Silvertongue smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Then we are all in agreement for now." he turned to Blackburn. "Your Majesty, I believe that we can conclude this summit meeting if that's agreeable with you? I'm certain that your guests would care for a moment to recuperate after this deluge of information."

Blackburn nodded back. "Indeed." She turned to the southerners. "Delegates, we are adjourned. If you need anything else, feel free to ask. All of Hope's Point's resources are at your disposal be it for personal reasons or otherwise."

Nods and acknowledgements went around the table, and slowly everypony who had been invited to the meeting began to trickle out, even Serendipity, who likely left to wait in the hall for Dawn.

Gray was about to do the same when she felt a chill on her shoulder; her father's hoof, and only his, was there, intangible as it was. Dawn still sat motionless in her seat, eyes closed, as she had been the entire meeting, only more… still, like she was in an even deeper trance than usual.

"A moment, Gray, if you would?" he said quietly enough that only she could hear, and it was only his voice, not Dawn's as well.

Gray nodded and turned to face her father fully. "Yeah, sure Dad. What's up?"

"When Dawn channels my astral form through her, she must enter a deep meditative state to do so. In that state, I work in tandem with her so that I might use her limbs to move and interact physically with the world in even that minor capacity. I cannot use her magic nor can I put much force into physical contact; I can barely even walk."

He paused. "She is normally fully aware during this state, as I feel that it allows her to experience what is happening around her, so that she still feels as though she is involved with matters. I only utilize this connection with her with her permission; should she not wish to allow me to channel myself through her this way, she may refuse at any time."

"Oookay?" Gray muttered, an eyebrow rising up into her mane. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I am fully capable of usurping total control if I so wished," he said simply. "She would enter a meditative state so deep that she would be unaware of anything whatsoever. I am doing just that as we speak, and have been for the past few minutes; she cannot see you, cannot hear you or me, and as far as she is aware, we are still in the meeting."

"What? You mean Dawn doesn't know what's going on right now?"

"Precisely."

"Is she okay with that?"

"I did not ask her for permission."

Gray's jaw fell a little; this was highly unusual for her father to do, especially to Dawn. "You didn't? Why not?"

Silvertongue sighed and shook his head. "Gray, my dear… feel free to deny me if you wish, but I would very much like to hear from you, and you alone, what has been happening in our family over these past seven years." He looked right at her, his golden eye boring directly into her soul. "I want to know everything that I have missed. Please."

Gray stared at her father for a moment, then nodded; she realized in that moment that Dawn really hadn't been telling their father everything. "Where do you want me to start?"

"You needn't trouble yourself with that. With your permission I can gaze into your memories and see everything I need to see, hear what I need to hear. You just need to sit back, relax, and open your mind to me."

"Yeah… okay, I can do that." She paused. "Just, uh… you can avoid some of the, er… personal stuff?"

He chuckled lightly. "Of course. I have no interest in spying on you and your husband, hmm?"

"Yeah. Good." She took a breath, leaned back, and closed her eyes. "Go for it."

"Thank you, Gray. This will only take a moment. And please, do not mention this to Dawn. I will speak with her later."

*****

It was late at night and Golden Dawn was finally crawling into bed and preparing herself to go to sleep.

It was so much different making her usual nighttime preparations here in a guest chamber at Hope's Point than it was back home. The room's layout was completely different; she had to settle for a portable music player and earphones instead of a record player to hear her music; and, of course, she was sharing the room with another pony, Serendipity, so she felt a distinct lack of the normal privacy she was accustomed to.

It wasn't too bad of course, even if everything was woefully inferior to her usual amenities. The bed was comfortable, but not quite comfortable enough; the room was at a pleasant temperature, but was either just a bit too warm or a bit too cold; the sheets were soft but a little too clingy; the pillows didn't stay cool for long and she had to flip them over too often; the room wasn't quite perfectly quiet, and that wasn't even counting Serendipity sometimes getting up to use the bathroom.

Not too bad, but it wasn't home.

Still, she could at least get to sleep even if it took a little longer than usual, and she could still focus herself enough to let her essence waft outwards and call out to her father. As usual, her dreamscape became an endless black void, with only herself and her bed—her real bed—present in the darkness. And, as usual, she would step away from her bed just far enough that her father would appear before her.

Only there was something a little off about him tonight. Dawn had communed with her father many times over the years, and every time she did they always met face-to-face without exception. She knew this because every time she would approach and smile and even sometimes run to hug him, and every time she could see his warm smile there to greet her. Or at least that's how she remembered their previous encounters.

He never had his back to her when they met.

"Father?" she said, stepping forward to greet him as she usually would.

"Dawn," was his simple reply, so simple that it felt… cold; Dawn could feel a little shiver through her body when he said it, and not the pleasant sort of shiver either.

She paused, blinking, unsure what to make of that, but shook it off; it had been a stressful day, so perhaps he was just being contemplative. "Do you share the same opinion on the proceedings of the summit as I do, Father? I was under the impression that it went surprisingly well, all things considered."

"Mmm," he grunted.

She blinked again; this was most unusual. "Father, is everything alright?" She tried to circle around to look him in the eyes, but no matter how many steps she took she didn't even seem to be moving from out behind him.

Her father paused for a long moment, then shook his head. "Dawn, my dear… in my long life there has only ever been one thing that I have ever truly regretted. You already know this to be the moment when I had to kill Lady Golden Heart, the mare who I loved with all my heart and soul, in order to do what I felt was right."

"Of course, Father." Dawn gulped; why did she have an uneasy feeling in her gut? "You haven spoken on it many times."

"Yes. I have. It is still a resounding memory to me, the point of no return on the path to becoming who I am today. Even though I have been able to see My Heart again here within the Dreaming, it will never quite be the same between us as it was before that moment. I still love her, and she still loves me, but never again can we have what we once had.

"Ever since that moment, however, I have lived my life with no more regrets. I did not allow myself to be wracked with guilt or remorse, lest I weaken my resolve with such emotions. It was not until you and your sisters were born that I allowed my heart to open up again to anything beyond the cold-hearted logic that I felt for everything else until that point.

"Since then, I have learned to love again, to concern myself not with results and machinations and schedules and plans, but with the well-being of others. Of you and your sisters." He looked up into the nothingness. "You are my daughters. My family. And I love you all very much."

Dawn felt the warmth of his words filling her heart and soul, and yet there was a strange… hiccup to it. She couldn't explain it. "And we love you as well, Father. But… might I ask what inspired you to deliver such a heartfelt speech? Not that I do not appreciate it, of course, but it is rare to hear such unfiltered sentimentality in your vernacular."

"Indeed. Which is why I blame myself, mostly, for what I am about to say."

"Hmm?"

Her father turned to face her now, his expression as sullen as she'd ever seen him. "Dawn, my dear… I am disappointed in you."

Dawn felt her heart almost immediately stop, like a bomb had just went off in her chest. "Wh-what? Why? I… have I not performed my tasks admirably enough? I assure you Father, I—"

"No, Dawn, that is not what I mean. Our family. Your sisters. I am disappointed in you for the way that you have treated them over the years. I blame myself for not being a better father to you all, to you specifically, such that you are under the impression that what has happened between you all is somehow acceptable.

"You belittle them, you disparage their interests and ideas, and worst of all, you show them a distinct lack of warmth and love. Three of your sisters are married; you did not attend any of their weddings, to the point that Havoc did not even invite you to hers. You have three nieces and a nephew, and yet you have never taken a single moment of your time to interact with them.

"And all of this might be forgivable, yet you show no remorse for any of this behavior. You hear their grievances against you and then you either ignore them or you insult them for it." Silvertongue shook his head, his expression awash with disbelief. "It was your connection as a family that helped us defeat Nihila before, but in seven years you have destroyed that connection.

"Because of this, I consider the arrival of Twilight Sparkle and her friends to not just be a lucky boon, but an absolute necessity. Their arrival in our world seven years ago was a happy coincidence that I could take advantage of to defeat Nihila; now, because of what you've done, they are crucial to the survival of us all.

"And I blame myself for this. I did not teach you well enough, it seems, did not prepare you adequately for the responsibilities that I have placed upon you. I wonder now if perhaps I might have been misguided in making you my Warden instead of Curaçao. You were not rea—"

Dawn abruptly woke up from her sleep, clutching her stomach in pain. She felt like she was going to vomit; no, not just vomit, she felt as though her insides were on fire and needed to get out of her as soon as possible. The worst of the pain was in her heart; there was no blood, but she felt as though she'd been stabbed straight through the chest.

"Dawn."

Her father's voice. It hurt to hear it. It hurt so much that she couldn't stand it.

"Da—"

It hurt so much that she shut it out entirely.

Silent, painful sobs wracked her body; she'd never felt like this before, not once in her entire life. The tears just wouldn't stop, no matter how much she tried.

Chapter Twenty: Rapport

Blackburn was the first to arrive down in the hangar bay that evening, outside of the technicians and docking crews that were always present when ships came into dock, of course. Well, that was unfair; Gadget was literally half a second behind her, but a half of a second later still made Blackburn the first to arrive, natch.

After the tense first day of the summit and the hectic few days afterwards, Blackburn was desperately hopeful that the expedition team had good news. When she saw the Comet Chaser in the hangar, though, she voiced her immediate thought to Captain Ember, who was the first to disembark:

"What happened? Starboard engine damaged, rear cargo bay ruptured, notable scarring on hull. Impact points, not electrical damage. A crash? Hmm, not to the rear of the ship. In any case, implies problem with shields. Belt too much at that depth?"

Captain Ember shook her head. "Oh no no, not at all. The shields worked great as always, but boy am I glad I had the forethought to add an extra generator to the configuration. We ran into some trouble, and not from the Belt. The Belt's actually pretty tame at that depth."

"In Athenos?"

"Amongst other places, yeah." Ember gestured at Twilight Sparkle, who was just now descending the ramp. "Princess Twilight and her team have a lot to tell you, I think. I was only privy to some of it and didn't understand most of it."

"Why is it 'Princess Twilight's team'?" Winter scoffed before Twilight could even open her mouth, shimmying past the taller mare and looking as disgruntled as ever. "I'm the one who formed this expedition up, I'm the one who needed to be there. Why isn't it 'Winter's team'? Huh?"

"Because you're too short to be the leader," quipped Rainbow as she squeezed her way by. "Everypony get outta the way already, sheesh! Do we need to do this right on the boarding ramp?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, then addressed Blackburn with a smile. "We definitely have a lot of information to give you, and not just about what we learned in Athenos but about a few other things we found down there. It's quite a lot to digest."

Blackburn raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Meeting room already arranged; follow me, don't want to wait." She turned to Captain Ember. "Well done, Captain. Your team is on leave for one week; rest, relax, then return to duty. Earned it."

Captain Ember saluted with a smile. "Thank you, Your Majesty." She nodded at Twilight. "Princess Twilight, it's been wonderful working with you and your team."

"You too, Captain," Twilight replied.

Blackburn and Gadget then led the expedition team up through the elevator and into the royal palace, making a beeline for the arranged meeting room. It was one of the mid-sized meeting rooms, too big for just Blackburn and the team, but the extra room was useful for Pandemonia. Or, it would be, if she was in her alicorn form; Blackburn was unsure why she'd taken her unicorn disguise, Puzzle Box, for the moment.

"Pandemonia," Blackburn greeted with a nod. "Or rather, Puzzle Box?"

It still felt so odd to her that she referred to a physical goddess by just her name. There was no title before it, no Lady like Silvertongue's "Lord", no Mistress, not even a Princess like with Twilight, who didn't even like being addressed like that in the first place; there wasn't even a formal way to address her without using her name, whether it was Your Grace, Your Holiness, or Your Eminence. Did the southern ponies really refer to Harmonia in the same manner?

Bizarre.

"Expedition team has returned," Blackburn continued, gesturing at Twilight and the others as they took seats at the round table. "Claim to have found new information, have not revealed anything yet; wanted you to be first to hear it."

"I appreciate that, Your Majesty," Pandemonia-as-Puzzle Box said with a smile and a nod, taking her own seat at the table. "I look forward to hearing what they've discovered."

"Question!" Rainbow said, raising her hoof in the air. "This is Pandemonia? I thought she was a big ol' alicorn mare, not a little unicorn mare." A pause. "Not as little as Winter is, but y'know, relatively-speaking."

"Har har," Winter snorted.

"This is the 'disguise' that I use when exploring the city of Hope's Point," Puzzle Box replied. "After witnessing the reactions of the southern delegates to my appearance, I find myself agreeing that it would be best if I maintain the disguise in the public eye for the time being. In these trying times, I wish not to cause undue distress."

Rainbow nodded. "Well yeah, okay, that makes sense. I mean, I guess I'd freak a bit if I'd never seen an alicorn before and then one just sat next to me at the bar."

"But why now? All of us know what you really look like," said Hourglass, gesturing at the group. "It doesn't bother us."

"I wish to ensure that I am comfortable taking this form for extended periods. I transitioned into it at midnight and took an opportunity to practice 'sleep', and have not transitioned back since. I intend on keeping myself in this state for a full twenty-four hour period."

"Well it's good that you're getting all this time in to practice," Twilight said. "You're lucky that you're able to change your form like that so easily. I still have to hide my wings when I go out into the city, and I know that I get lots of stares because of my height." She patted her chest a few times with both hooves. "Not that I'm uncomfortable with this body, but I look forward to not needing to hide it anymore."

"Are you planning on going on another tour with Missus Gray?" asked Sunspire.

Puzzle nodded. "Yes, later tonight, after the city's traditional dinner hours. I'd inquired about an establishment that caught my eye a few times in passing, and after having its purpose explained to me I wished to partake."

Blackburn raised an eyebrow. "Which establishment?"

"I believe it was called the 'Eggplant Lounge'?" Puzzle said, tapping her chin. "I was most curious about it. Such establishments were not common in the south in my era, but they did exist."

Blackburn grinned wide. "Aha… interesting. A good choice from my understanding. Gray is taking you?'

"Yes, as a 'chaperone' so to speak. She said she had no intention of partaking in the offerings herself, just making sure that I received the best experience that I could."

"Before leaving, ask Gadget for recommendations," Blackburn noted, gesturing towards the door with her head. "She 'partakes' every Spring. Will visit herself in a few weeks; nearing the northern Spring, after all."

"I see. Then I shall do just that. Thank you for the advice, Your Majesty."

"Always ensure guests in my city enjoy themselves. Honored guests especially so."

"What the heck is this 'Eggplant Lounge'?" Rainbow asked, crossing her hooves over her chest. "Sounds neat if you're giving it such a glowing review. Some sort of bar?"

Blackburn was about to answer—nopony else in the room knew but her—then realized that Sunspire was in the room. So she carefully thought of how to reword her answer; she didn't know if Sunspire knew about "the birds and the bees" as the southerners would call it, and didn't want to discuss that here in a room full of mares. The poor kid might not recover.

She did not expect Pandemonia to beat her to the punch. "It is a brothel that exclusively hires stallions and caters to servicing mares. I have never experienced sexual intercourse from a personal perspective, but as a southern goddess I often encountered thoughts of lust in mortal ponies; after all, sex is one of the leading sources of frustration, and thus Adversity, in mortals, be it an absence of it or disappointment with what one receives."

Blackburn watched the collective reactions of the expedition team with amusement: Rainbow's jaw hung open just slightly, Winter's just a little more, though neither seemed bothered by the concept, just surprised at the bluntness of Pandemonia's spiel; Hourglass was red in the face and barely stifling giggles; Twilight's face was equally red, and her wings had gone to Sunspire's ears. Sunspire's expression was oddly… unfazed.

"P-Pandemonia!" Twilight stammered. "Y-you can't just talk about that kind of stuff in front of a young colt!"

Puzzle Box tilted her head. "Hmm? I was under the impression that Sunspire was roughly ten years of age?" She looked to Blackburn. "Was I mistaken?"

"Yes, he's ten! Only ten! He shouldn't be listening to… to stuff like that! He's too young!"

"The colts and fillies of my era were taught about sexual intercourse from a younger age than this. Most fillies enter their first estrus cycle in their pre-teen years and it was ill-advised for them not to understand the consequences of sexual activities. We lacked the medical technology of the modern era with which to prevent… sorrow."

"I have been educated on the subject of sex," said Sunspire, who could apparently hear just fine despite Twilight's best efforts, and who seemed none the worse for wear. "We studied puberty in school on… actually, the same day that I left on my expedition with Winter and Hourglass, come to think of it. Wow, it's been a while. I hope I'm not behind in my courses…"

Twilight balked, then shook her head. "B-be that as it may, he doesn't need to hear about… about a house of ill repute! It's one thing to be aware of sexual activity, another to know that it's carried on in such a… a distasteful manner. Sex is supposed to be between two ponies who love each other very much, not with a random stranger and especially not somepony you pay."

Blackburn lightheartedly responded with: "Says who?" She was amused immensely that Rainbow had responded at exactly the same time in exactly the same way; she'd already deduced the cyan mare and her pink wife enjoyed inviting guests. Another commonality between herself and Rainbow, it seemed.

Twilight let out a frustrated sputter. "Whatever! I think we're getting off-topic here. Can we just… deliver our information to Pandemonia and go about our day?"

"I apologize if I've caused any discomfort," Puzzle Box said with a slight frown. "I understand that discussions of sexual matters can sometimes be uncomfortable for those who have never experienced it—"

Twilight threw her hooves in the air, ignoring giggle fits that Rainbow had gone into. "Gah! That's not—" She snorted out her nose. "Anyway! We found Athenos! Don't you want to hear about it?! I sure wanna talk about it! About anything else, really!"

Twilight then proceeded to talk about it, everything that had happened from the moment she and the team had left Hope's Point all the way up until they got back. Blackburn was interested in the entire tale, particularly that there was life at the bottom of the sea in the Belt. Sea serpents? Seaponies? What else was there down in the depths that had yet to be discovered?

Blackburn immediately started formulating plans in her head to recall the other exploration vessels and get them all organized to find this "Aquas" if they could; establishing contact with these seaponies before the world merger seemed like a good idea. Not just because they'd need to know what was going on, of course, but because having good relations with them would potentially benefit both societies.

The Athenos discussion, though, was the more critical one, and the one that the group would actually address here; the rest was of no use to Pandemonia's story, and so could be ignored for the time being.

"They killed my Warden…" Puzzle Box muttered, slumping down in her seat, despondent. "They murdered her to get to me. All because they were under the sway of this… this 'Nihila'." She shook her head. "Until now I did not know who this creature was whom everyone spoke of with such disdain and dread, but now I understand."

"Nihila's origin, unusual, distressing," Blackburn noted. "Described as a 'presence' from Beyond. This 'Beyond', not the Dreaming; Harmonia and Pandemonia would have noticed her. Perhaps a mortal, used Malygnes to perform ritual, ascended to deific status as Silvertongue did…

"No." Blackburn shook her head. "Malygnes's description suggests unknown presence, alien or eldritch in nature. Not of mortal plane, not of the Dreaming. No, only other consideration: another world." She pointed at Twilight. "Twilight opened connections to this world from her own; Nihila could have done the same?"

Winter tapped her chin in thought. "No, that's not it. Twilight's spell was designed only to view this world, not to influence it. Influencin' a world from another would require a mastery over Void magic. It's not about power in that case, but skill, precision. Even a small amount of Void magic can overpower alicorns with the right applications."

"Taught this control to Malygnes, allowed him to use Warden as a conduit," Blackburn muttered with a nod. "Implies Nihila has knowledge of Void magic."

Twilight sharply rose upright. "I just thought of something! The force that took over my spell, that brought us here: what if that was Nihila?!"

Winter nodded. "I was thinkin' the same thing, actually. Been thinkin' about it for days now." She shook her head. "But for Nihila to have that much knowledge and control over Void magic, she'd have to be a Chronomancer, and that's definitely not the case. HQ documents agents extensively."

"Then how does she have so much power over the Void?"

"Originates from there," Blackburn said matter-of-factly. "Able to communicate through it, manipulate it, teach control to others, use it to overpower Pandemonia and Twilight. Implies deep understanding, instinctive use."

"You think that Nihila is some sort of… alien? Like a real alien, from the Void itself?" Twilight asked.

"Logical conclusion. Other possibilities to consider, but this one seems most likely. Purposefully caused imbalance to bring Void here, was stopped twice before, is attempting again. Implies interest in bringing the Void to the world specifically."

"That's… really concernin'…" Winter muttered, tapping her hoof over her mouth. "That might mean she's been causin' some of the rifts we've dealt with over the centuries. I'll need to bring this up to HQ. It won't change anything about our plans, but with this in mind I think we don't actually have a choice but to find her and destroy her."

Blackburn nodded. "Yes. If Nihila originates from the Void, could potentially survive world's destruction, go on to other worlds, perhaps gain strength from process. Would target Twilight's first, petty revenge; might see your Princess Luna as a potential possession target like Pandemonia was. Similar connections to Dark magic based on information I have."

Twilight sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Then we really don't have a choice. This isn't just about saving this world anymore, or even saving my own. If Nihila can actually do what we think she can do—even if we're overestimating her tremendously—we have to stop her. She could be a threat to other worlds. To all worlds."

"She did come to this one before it had a Chronomancer, too," Winter noted, still tapping her lips. "So even if I informed HQ about her, she could potentially hide in a world that HQ doesn't have in its records yet and bide her time. There are more worlds out there without Chronomancers than with them, theoretically of course."

"Pandemonia?" asked Twilight. "Are you alright? I can't imagine this information makes you feel any better."

Pandemonia-as-Puzzle Box was silent for a moment, looking down at the floor in contemplation, then slowly looked up at Twilight. "Actually… it does. At least now I know what happened to me. This Nihila creature, she is… a virus. A cancer. Her attempt to use me to destroy this world that I love is… it's pure evil.

"But the old world I loved is gone. Because of Nihila, it has been replaced by… this." She gestured around the room. "This new world. I have not been in this world for long, but I have seen it from a new perspective. I have enjoyed the company that I keep. I have found things that I enjoy, things that I dislike, and things that I look forward to trying. This world… it is more real to me than that old world ever was.

"And Nihila has put this world into its death throes." Puzzle Box rose up straight, placing her hooves firmly on the table; the translucent image of Pandemonia's true form superimposed itself over her. "If I cannot save this world, then I will do everything in my power to prevent Nihila from destroying the next. I will do everything in my power to protect the creatures of this world so that they might live on in another."

"And so will I," Twilight said with a hard nod. "I've seen too much of this world and made too many new friends to let Nihila take them from me. I was prepared to do whatever it took to keep this world safe even before we found out what Nihila was capable of, and now my resolve is stronger than ever. Especially if she's planning on going to my home afterwards."

"Yeah!" Rainbow chimed in, slapping her hooves together. "This alien's goin' down!"

"We are all agreed," Blackburn said, steepling her hooves. "Plan in place to ask Harmonia to help destroy Nihila for good; Curaçao seeking Nihila's allies to prevent her escape through them—Silvertongue suggested it was done before. Next stage of our plan: garner support in the south, fortify the north, prepare for battle."

"And I'll be happy to help with that too, however I can," agreed Twilight. "If the ponies and other creatures of this world are moving to mine, then it is in everyone's best interests that they know who I am and what I am. We still don't know what the exact transition process is going to be like." She looked at Winter. "Right?"

Winter shook her head. "Not until we're further along with all of this, no. HQ is going to take at least a week or two—from our perspective—to figure out where this world's societies are gonna fit in your world. And now I have to throw them a new piece of data, the seaponies of Aquas, which we don't even know the location of." She turned to Blackburn—

"Already forming plans to find it," Blackburn answered before the smaller mare could ask the question; she was glad that Winter's thoughts were on the same path as her own.

"Good on ya."

Puzzle Box rose out of her seat and sighed. "This has certainly been… an enlightening afternoon," she said, rubbing her temple. "It is one thing to fall into a deep sleep and wake up with no memory of your time lost. It is another entirely to learn that while you were sleeping, a creature was using your 'body' to perform acts of evil."

"Are you going to be okay?" Twilight asked, reaching out to touch Puzzle's shoulder.

"Yes. I will be fine. This only puts a new perspective on things, inspires my resolve further to keep the creatures of this world safe from harm." As she headed for the door, she added, "There is still so much of this world left to experience, however. If I am to be its guardian, I wish to experience it all."

Twilight's ears flattened, her face red once again. "After all this, that's what's on your mind?"

Blackburn chuckled. "After all this, will serve as adequate… stress relief." With a tap to her chin and a sly look towards Twilight and Winter—which neither noticed—she added, "Can think of quite a few ponies who could use it."

*****

Sunspire returned to his guest chambers at the royal palace following the meeting with Pandemonia, expecting to have a chance to rest and recuperate after the at-times harrowing expedition. He'd wanted to get back to reading the set of texts that he'd been working through on the subject of the world's ocean, now mainly to compare his experiences with what had been presented, and to draw a few maps.

They'd certainly never mentioned sea serpents and seaponies, so he wondered what other information might be inaccurate and in need of correction.

However, he had not been expecting company, so he was rather surprised to see that there were two ponies waiting for him outside his door, more surprised when he saw who they were, one more than the other: Green Guard and Serendipity.

"Sunspire!" Green said first, bounding over and giving his friend a big smile and an equally big hug; the large colt had become a lot more friendly and open with him over the past month, more friendly than anypony else Sunspire knew, except maybe Miss Velvet. "We just heard that you were back from your trip. How are you? How was the expedition?"

"Hello to you too, Green," Sunspire said, glad that his friend knew his own strength and didn't hug too hard, at least not anymore. "I'm doing well, thank you, and the expedition was quite an interesting and educational experience. How are you?"

"I'm great, thanks for asking. I've just been, y'know, worried about you, that's all. I wish I could've gone with you."

"Ah. Well, there was no need to worry, I assure you. Between experienced ponies like Winter, Hourglass, Princess Twilight, and Missus Dash, there were plenty of protective measures to go around."

Sunspire was very careful not to mention all of the life-threatening experiences that he'd been through down in the depths of the ocean; he didn't want to worry his friend, no matter how much he wanted to share. Not just because he didn't want his friend to be worried for his own sake, but because he was certain that if Green got worried right now, he might tighten the hug too much.

Sunspire's eyes drifted over to the approaching Serendipity, and he broke away from the hug with Green to give the pegasus filly a little wave. "And hello to you as well, Serendipity. I didn't know that you were here in Hope's Point. When did this happen?"

Serendipity was eyeing the two colts with an odd expression; Sunspire was certain that she was upset—she got that expression on her face a lot when talking with him—but he didn't know why. His immediate thought was that he'd done something to upset Miss Dawn and Serendipity had volunteered to reprimand him like she always did.

"I got here a few days ago with Miss Dawn," Serendipity said. "She's here on a diplomatic retreat and I asked if I could come along to observe and learn. Also, I wanted to check up on you."

"Check up on me?"

"Yes, dummy, to check up on you. You left the tower without telling me…" A pause. "Or anypony else, for that matter. I had to hear from Miss Velvet that you'd gone on some sort of adventure out in the Wastelands with ponies that were basically strangers." She slapped his shoulder; she never hit hard, of course. "You should've told me."

Sunspire rubbed the spot she'd hit. "W-well, it was Miss Dawn's idea, actually. She thought that I'd be useful—"

"I know all of that now, but I would've liked to have heard it from you. You're such a workaholic that you couldn't take the time, huh? Isn't that always your excuse?"

"Oh. I apologize, in that case," Sunspire said, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Miss Dawn gave me the assignment and I had to leave right away. I barely had the time to ask the Overseer to adjust the fit in my goggles so that they'd be comfortable over the course of the trip, and to obtain traveling equipment and an emergency communicator."

Serendipity rolled her eyes. "And then you just stayed here in Hope's Point? Why didn't you come back to the tower as soon as your expedition was over? A lot of us have been worried about you."

Sunspire blinked; he was used to hearing the question, but not in that particular way. "Um… well, to be honest, I never asked Miss Dawn to take me back. N-not that I didn't want to ask her, but I just guess I never had the opportunity to do so. She never asked me if I wanted to go home either, come to think of it."

"My mom's pretty mad at Miss Dawn because of that," Green said with a nod. "She says that Miss Dawn forgot all about you and basically left you here because she doesn't care."

"Miss Dawn wouldn't do that," Sunspire said, tilting his head. "Would she?" He wanted to doubt what Green was saying but he didn't think Missus Gray was a liar, either. There must've been a miscommunication.

"Of course she wouldn't," agreed Serendipity, giving Green a harsh look. "She told Missus Curie that you were supposed to be helping with this 'Pandemonia' pony. She's really important, so if Miss Dawn thought that you could help, then it's a good thing that you were here."

"I thought you were worried because I stayed here? You sounded upset."

Serendipity paused, red in her cheeks. "O-oh. I mean, no, I wasn't worried, and if I sound upset it's because you worried others. I was just curious why you stayed, that's all. I mean, I know Miss Dawn gave you another assignment but I was just wondering why you accepted it. That's all." She slapped his shoulder again. "Don't be a dummy, asking questions like that."

"Hey, don't call him a dummy," Green said, standing up big and tall over Serendipity. "Sunspire's super smart, not dumb."

Serendipity was unintimidated and looked Green right in the face, though she had to look up to do so, even though she was tall for her age. "No, he's a dummy. Sure, he reads a lot of books and knows a lot of stuff, but he doesn't know everything and he's dumb about a lot of other stuff."

"I'm right here, you know," Sunspire said, tilting his head.

"He's not dumb," insisted Green. "I've seen how smart he is—"

"I've been friends with him longer than you," Serendipity quipped, nose in the air as she pulled Sunspire over to her side. "So I know him better than anypony, and I know he's just a dummy who knows how to read good."

"Read well," Sunspire corrected.

"He knows way more than just how to read good," Green fired back.

"Read well," Sunspire corrected again. Could they not hear him?

Green then put his hoof around Sunspire's other shoulder, so that Sunspire was practically squished between the two. "He also knows how to draw and make maps and he knows a lot about all sorts of things that I bet you know anything about. So don't call my friend a dummy, dummy."

Serendipity growled. "Who're you calling a dummy, meathead?"

"Who're you calling a meathead, jerk?"

As the two argued back and forth, Sunspire—literally caught in the middle—couldn't help but wonder: What the heck is going on? I just wanted to take a nap and do some reading…

*****

Dawn hadn't slept well in days. Her music wasn't soothing her nerves whatsoever, so she'd stopped bothering with it; in fact, she'd nearly broken her device in a fit of frustration so now it wasn't working well anyway. Instead she spent all of her time reading, even though she already knew that it didn't help her sleep much. It was better than the alternative, which was thinking, contemplating, and reflecting; those just… hurt.

Still, despite this she did everything in her power to ensure that nopony would notice her horrible sleep deprivation, from using makeup to cover the bags forming under her eyes, to showering frequently so that she was clean and alert, to drinking coffee almost constantly to keep herself awake and energetic. She'd even applied a black tint to her glasses so that nopony would see the red in her eyes, and so that she wasn't bothered by how bright everything was.

But today would be different. She got word that Twilight's expedition team had returned from their deep sea adventure and that the information they'd discovered had been incredibly beneficial to the cause. She'd read the reports later; for now, she just wanted to see her friend again. Because that was it, that was all that Dawn needed to prove to everypony that they were wrong about her. Twilight was her golden ticket.

She found Twilight in the royal palace's lounge that afternoon, enjoying a small meal and what looked like some sort of pleasant conversation with Winter. This was a good thing; Winter was a friendly acquaintance, and though the three of them hadn't spent any time together as a trio in seven years, it would be easy enough to just get right back into their old rhythm.

"Twilight," she said as she approached, nodding to Twilight. She then nodded at Winter. "Winter."

"Oh, hey Dawn," Twilight said with a smile and a wave. She patted one of the empty seats at the little table. "Pull up a chair, join us."

"Thank you." Dawn hopped up into a chair across from Twilight and next to Winter, then flagged down one of the wait staff for a coffee; he already knew her and knew what she drank, so he'd get right on it. "I am pleased that you two are unharmed and healthy following your undersea adventure."

"Aww, were you worried about us?" snickered Winter, sipping from her assuredly alcoholic drink; Dawn was in no shape to try and determine what it was by appearance alone. "Hey, what's with the shades? The lights aren't that bright in here, are they?"

"I have been… experiencing headaches over the past few days," Dawn carefully responded. "I have taken the step of applying a tint to my glasses so as to alleviate one source of irritation. It helps."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Twilight said with a sweet smile. "Do you need any headache medicine? Sometimes I would get bad migraines at home, and I'd take some medicine that my friend Zecora would whip up for me. Cleared those migraines right up."

"I refuse to partake in any medicinal aids for my woes. I am apprehensive about developing an addiction."

"Ah. Yeah, I can understand that." With a look to Winter, Twilight added, "Some ponies can develop pretty bad addictions, don't you think?"

Winter smirked the entire time that she drained the rest of her drink… which was nearly a full glass. Dawn could never understand how any pony could enjoy alcoholic beverages so much, much less how somepony with Winter's diminutive size could handle such large quantities of the stuff without suffering severe liver damage.

"Did you just say I'm diminutive?" Winter asked, eyes glaring at Dawn.

Dawn blinked. "Oh. Um. D-did… did I vocalize that thought rather than keeping it internalized?"

"Yeah, mate, ya did. I get it, I'm fuckin' short, but ya don't need to rub my fuckin' face in it by using different vocabulary. Bloody hell."

Twilight sighed and shook her head. "I'm sure that she didn't mean anything by it. Did you, Dawn?"

"Ah… n-no, I did not intend it as an insult," Dawn replied.

"Ah, it's not big deal, I'm just takin' the piss," Winter said with a small grin. "I've had to listen to Rainbow harp on about it all week. I'm used to it."

Dawn cleared her throat, hoping to change topics as quickly as possible. "So, Twilight, we have not had much of an opportunity to 'catch up' as it were. I must apologize, as work has been exceedingly strenuous over these past several weeks, and I am afraid that our brief meeting last week came at a rather unfortunate period."

"If anypony understands what it's like to stress out over work so much that they forget about stuff, it's me," Twilight laughed.

Twilight took a sip of coffee, and Dawn did the same—hers had just arrived—and then Twilight laughed again, though this one was more a giggle. "Y'know, now that I know the truth about everything, I think it's kind of funny that you like coffee as much as you do, which is almost as much as I do."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? What is amusing about that? Friends typically share common interests, do they not?"

"Well, yeah, of course they do. But that's not what I meant. I mean, you have a big thing for coffee, just like I do." A pause, then another laugh. "Okay, maybe not like I do. I remember that donuts were your 'thing', but you do still like your coffee. Even if you're drinking it wrong. Coffee is meant to be consumed black."

Dawn looked down at her cream-and-sugar-filled coffee, then back to Twilight. "I fail to see how this is amusing."

"Oh. I just meant that I think it's funny that you like coffee so much, since you're my clone and all."

Dawn squeezed so hard on her coffee cup with her magic that it shattered and spilled coffee all over the table and floor. "What did you just say?"

Twilight's eyes widened, shocked and horrified. "Oh… I th-thought you knew. Oh wow, this is awkward." She slapped herself on the forehead with her hoof. "Stupid Twilight. I knew that I should have broken this more gently. I honestly thought that you knew."

"I am aware of the circumstances of my… birth," Dawn snarled through clenched teeth. "But you were never intended to be made aware of it. Who told—" She paused, then directed a powerful glare at Winter. "You."

Winter stopped sipping from her second beverage and pointed at herself. "Me? 'Me' what?"

"You conniving drunkard. You informed her of my origins? That information was provided to you in good faith with an understanding that you would not inform anypony of the truth. My sisters all know not to inform anypony of these facts. Our father—" Another pain in her chest; even thinking about him hurt. "Our father intended for us to maintain secrecy!"

"Alright, look, you're gettin' ahead—"

"Do not attempt to finagle yourself out of this, you abbreviated dipsomaniac. I have borne witness to your heinous scheme, and I hope that you are ashamed of yourself for sinking to such low levels. Now I understand. You have poisoned Twilight against me, just as my sisters have done with my father."

Winter snorted out her nose. "Mate, ya don't know what the fuck—"

"Oh, I do not? I do not know? You divulged secrets to Twilight so that you could sabotage our friendship. Why? The three of us were a cohesive unit, a band of like-minded individuals with similar interests and a pleasant bond. Why would you seek to ruin that? What do you stand to gain?"

"Dawn—" Twilight started.

"Do not make an attempt to defend this inebriated charlatan, Twilight. She has deceived you into thinking—"

"Dawn," Twilight repeated, so firmly that Dawn couldn't help but stop; she couldn't be sure, but Twilight looked… angry. "Winter didn't tell me anything. My friends did, after your sisters told them. I didn't find out until so much later because Applejack and I were stranded with Winter. And Winter never told us anything."

Dawn froze, her eyes drifting to Winter, who was just staring at her and had returned to drinking from her drink. She couldn't see Winter's mouth, but Winter's eyes just had this look of… angry pity was the best Dawn could think of to describe it. She never was good with reading ponies.

"Now, I don't know what the heck all this is about or why you're so angry about it, but speaking to friends like that is just… it's not acceptable, and I'm disappointed in you for doing it. I've already had a talk about this with Winter, funnily enough, so now I'll say it to you." Twilight took a short breath. "Apologize to Winter, and we can just put this behind us, okay?"

Dawn felt her heart tense up again, like it had the night when her father had expressed how disappointed he was. And now Twilight was telling her the same.

Something inside Dawn just snapped in that instant.

The only thing Dawn could do was laugh. "You're right," she muttered. "I'm just a disappointment."

Winter stared at her wide-eyed. "Did you just use a fuckin' contraction?"

"That's all I am. A disappointment. A failure. A worthless leader, a bad friend, an insufferable sister, a terrible daughter. I just needed one pony to tell me that I was right and that everypony else was wrong… and nopony could do it."

She lit up her horn, and with a flash and a pop she teleported back to her room, and crumbled into a ball on her bed. For all she cared or knew, the world had already ended.

*****

It was past midnight when Dawn managed to drag herself back into the royal palace's lounge, alone—okay, she teleported, but only because she knew the door would be locked at this hour. She could still teleport just fine and knew where all of the tables were supposed to be when the lounge closed, so there was minimal risk.

The room was completely empty, and dark, luckily; the only light sources were the little lights that surrounded the bar area that apparently never turned off. They were just bright enough that Dawn was able to find her way over that direction without too much trouble, though she did quite nearly trip into a table and knocked over a chair in the process.

She climbed her way up and onto a stool by the bar and managed to slump herself over the counter proper so that she didn't fall backwards instead; she was so tired that she couldn't keep her balance whatsoever. How she managed to accurately teleport in here was a miracle, but she honestly didn't care if she'd messed up at this point.

The liquor behind the bar was all locked away in cabinets, but those were easy enough to break open. The glasses weren't locked up, but they also weren't as easy to telekinetically float over to her, either; she didn't know how many attempts it had taken—somewhere between three and ten—but she eventually managed to get a glass over to her intact. And it was a big glass, too, maybe a foot tall and plenty thick, and with a handle as well.

The liquor bottles were heavier and sturdier, so it didn't take as much effort to get those over to her on the first try with each. She tried to read some of the labels but they seemed to be mostly brand names from what she could tell, and those were irrelevant to her. The liquids inside were either clear or one of the various shades of brown or gold, and she managed to get… seven of them over? No, ten. Definitely twelve.

She unstoppered one of the bottles of clear liquid and poured some of it into her glass—sloppily, unfortunately—before setting it down and pushing it aside. She wasn't sure if it had toppled over, but she knew she hadn't put the stopper back in so she just tossed it over… somewhere. She did the same with each and every bottle of liquor that she'd gathered, all… thirteen of them. Her glass was now full of the assuredly potent mixture.

Though it took a little effort—the glass was quite heavy now—she managed to lift it up to her lips with a combination of magic and her own two hooves. She managed to take one, two, three, four, five gulps of the concoction she'd made. It was absolutely disgusting, probably the single worst thing that Dawn had ever tasted in her entire life, and it burned like fire going down her throat.

She set her glass down, noticing that she'd barely even managed to drain a tenth of it, and berating herself for—

Then she felt her stomach lurch and she leaned over to vomit all over the stool next to her. Now, instead of just berating herself for being unable to drink a satisfactory amount, she also had to berate herself for her weak constitution and for making a horrible mess all over the floor, the stools, the bar, and especially herself.

And the worst part was how well she could see it all, too, as if somepony had turned the lights on in the room. Maybe that was why her eyes hurt all of a sudden? Everything was blurry anyway, as she'd forgotten her glasses upstairs.

Somepony sat down in the stool… not next to Dawn, but one over. And on the opposite side from where Dawn had puked, thankfully.

"Drowning your sorrows?" asked the voice of Queen Blackburn.

Dawn grumbled… something… under her breath. She couldn't even register what her own words were. She could just barely register the fact that Blackburn had pulled her hard-won drink away and done something with it. Emptied it out somewhere maybe?

"Interesting concoction," the queen continued; Dawn could hear her sniff the drink as it was pouring out into what sounded like a drain. "Ah, tequila and vodka, four different scotches, two whiskeys, bourbon, two rums, gin, and… grenadine. Unusual combination." A pause. "I'm cheating, of course; can see all the bottles. Would have to taste it to guess otherwise."

"What do you want," Dawn said, utterly incapable of putting in the effort to make her statement into a question.

"Hmm. To be rid of my mustard allergy, for the bathroom to be closer in royal bedroom, for cheaper sushi options from Seaside. For husband to grow a mustache without looking like a teenager." A pause. "A beard would also suffice. Lockwood would look distinguished."

Dawn groaned. "You're mocking me."

"No, answering your question."

"Then you misunderstood—"

"No, understood completely. Still waiting for answer to my question." Blackburn pushed over a tall glass of water. "Here. Rehydrate. Not healthy otherwise. Not a request; royal command."

Dawn grunted and, using her magic and her hooves together, managed to drink a sip of the water. Okay, more than a sip; the whole glass. It felt good washing down the burning in her throat from alcohol, vomit, and vomited alcohol.

"How'd you know I was even here?"

"This is my home, know everything that goes on here. Please, answer question."

"Fine," Dawn grumbled. "Yes, I'm 'drowning my sorrows'. I've heard that most ponies do so in times of misery and stress."

Blackburn nodded. "Yes, common 'solution' to that problem. Though most do so at a bar, or at home on couch."

"I'm at a bar," Dawn growled; the lights were getting to her now and making her head hurt as much as her stomach.

"Technicality. Bar is closed. Breaking and entering, mixing own drinks." Blackburn took a breath. "Unprofessional. Still, answered my question, will answer yours: I want to know why."

"Why what?"

"Why you are experiencing misery and stress. Obviously serious; you've been using contractions, smaller words. Uncharacteristic behavior."

"It's none of your—"

"Will reiterate: breaking and entering, stealing, vandalizing, damaging property. In my home. Very much my business."

Dawn paused, groaned, and pressed her forehead against the bar. "Just leave me alone."

"No. Not until you explain."

"Leave. Me. Alone."

"No. Not until—"

Dawn slammed her hooves down on the bar counter and glared at the pestering queen. "I've ruined everything! Alright?! I screwed up! Everypony hates me! All I am is a failure, a disappointment! My sisters can't stand the sight of me! I don't have any friends! My father—" There was the pain in her gut again. "My father… is angry with me… because of what I am, what I've done. My actions might just undo everything he's worked for!"

Blackburn nodded. "Yes, noticed familial troubles over the years, friendship troubles more recent. Father issues, only just hearing about. Why do you think they all hate you?"

Dawn turned her head so that her cheek was on the counter, just so she could give the queen her most incredulous look. "You're mocking me again. You obviously know—"

"No. Want to know why you think they hate you. Not why they do, but you think they do. Distinct difference."

"I… that…" Dawn paused, then grunted and pushed off of the counter to sit upright; she barely noticed the queen extend a wing to make sure she didn't fall out of her seat. "Everypony hates me because all I do is keep secrets from them. And every secret I keep just… just hurts everypony involved.

"I don't share news with anypony unless I think it's worth my time. I didn't tell Gray when Velvet was attacked. I didn't tell you about the Chameleon-class." Dawn sighed and dropped her head back to the countertop. "If I had told you, maybe… maybe your friend would still be alive."

Blackburn leaned her back against the bar and looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe. Or maybe not. Ponies responsible for attack, maybe they'd take different airship. Phoenix-class, perhaps.

"They fight their way out of NPAF airfield, kill dozens, hundreds of soldiers before defenses scrambled. Maybe they still reach the Wyvern, make frontal assault. Phoenix-class has defense shields that Chameleon didn't. Maybe Havoc comes to the rescue, can't get through shields, killed by counterfire. Maybe Wyvern hit by glancing blow, crashes, somepony aboard killed. Gadget and Crossfire would get royal family to escape pods; most likely would not escape themselves.

"Or… maybe no attack happens at all. Peace summit goes off without a hitch. Royal family goes on vacation afterwards to southern continent. Then Winter Glow finds Pandemonia, delivers news to you, you cannot take her to Hope's Point without me there. You take her home to Pandora Tower instead. Unknown results."

Dawn groaned again, leaning forward and slumping her head back onto the counter. "What are you trying to tell me, Your Majesty?"

"That you made a decision. Results are because of decision made. Cannot change it, cannot second-guess it. Must live with it, move on with results." Blackburn shook her head. "Cannot change the past."

"Hmph. That certainly is one way of looking at it," Dawn mumbled as she rubbed her eyes; the lights were still bothering her and she couldn't see well without her glasses, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Her head was feeling a lot better all of a sudden, and her stomach too. "What was in that water? I do not feel as groggy as I did a moment ago…"

"Just water… plus antacid," Blackburn said simply. "Hard to hold conversation with stomach pain."

"I cannot argue with that." Dawn sighed, straightened up, and shook her head. "It still does not change the fact that everypony I know despises me because of the kind of pony I am. And I cannot blame them. I am a despicable sort who lies to her family and friends, treats them with disrespect and contempt at the best of times."

"Hmm. True. Question: do you think you're wrong?"

"Yes, of course. Everypony hates me for it—"

"No. Do you think you're wrong because what you did is wrong, or just because of how it makes others treat you?"

Dawn blinked, then contemplated the floor tiles for a few moments. "I… I am of the opinion that my actions were inexcusable. My sisters and I would often argue about things, but I never… I never used to treat them with such scorn and neglect before. We would talk often about things, even when I found it annoying. I… I do not know when it changed, but…"

"When, why, and how, do not matter," Blackburn said, shaking her head. "Important thing is you acknowledge it."

"Too little too late," Dawn sighed. "I have thoroughly ruined my relationship with my sisters. I have tarnished the only friendships I have ever had, and my father—" Another pang in her stomach, though not as harsh as before. "All I know is that I have made mistakes, and now my family and friends hate me."

"Hmm. Question: are they dead?"

"What?

"Are they dead?" Blackburn paused, tapping her chin. "Philosophical component as it pertains to your father; still possess means of communicating with him, not considered 'alive' by typical standards."

"They… yes, of course they are alive," Dawn replied, eyebrow raised. "You are well aware of this."

"Then not too late to change things."

"What?"

Blackburn looked up at the ceiling and let out a breath. "Lived life with few regrets. Most are private, cannot share with you yet. One is well-known. Regret my relationship with stepmother, Silver Glow." She glanced at Dawn. "Treated her as you treat your sisters. Disrespect. Contempt. Scorn. Was always angry; accused her of trying to replace my mother.

"Had a single bonding moment with her," she continued with a small smile. "Very brief. Told her about Lockwood; she was happy for me. Apologized for prior treatment, but knew it wasn't enough; made pact to return home, make amends. Knew Lockwood would like her, vice versa." A breath. "Never had the chance."

Dawn frowned. "Yes… I am aware of the tragedy surrounding that particular attack on your city."

"Regret that I could never truly fix our relationship." Blackburn then turned and set her hoof on Dawn's shoulder. "You still have time. If you want to. Do you?"

"I… I do. It was never my intent to hurt my family. I did not do the things that I did because I took pleasure from it or gained anything tangible. I just… I just did it. I do not know if it was just because I felt as though it was the proper thing to do, the proper way to act, but…" Dawn shook her head. "But I want to fix this. I must. Not just for my sake and that of my family, but for the world itself."

Blackburn leveled Dawn with a hard look. "Then what's stopping you?"

"I do not even know where to begin," Dawn scoffed, setting her head against the counter again. "I even ruined my relationships with Twilight and Winter, and that cannot even be reasonably blamed on a lack of respect, but on a lack of time. We used to spend every day together. Surely we cannot maintain that."

"Hmm. You know, my husband has many, many ponies who he considers friends, and vice versa. Hundreds of them, maybe thousands; even he could only make an estimate of the number. Do you think he spends every day with them?"

"No, but—"

"How about every other day? Once a week? Once a month?"

Dawn grunted. "I understand your intended gist, Your Majesty."

"Friendship is not about just spending time together. It is about making the most of the time you do spend. Of sharing an interest, a passion, a personality trait. You and Twilight aren't friends because you spend every day together; it is because of what you have in common."

"Naturally, as I am her clone—"

"Irrelevant. Havoc and Rainbow, close friends due to shared interests, passions, personalities; not clones of one another. Myself and Gadget, share few interests—I'm too "masculine"—but share passion, sense of humor. Twilight and Winter, few shared interests—"

Dawn grunted. "Twilight would never want to be a friend to me, as she possesses such a good friend to her as Winter. It is clear that she made her choice weeks ago; when she had the opportunity to do so, she would rather observe Winter rather than myself. She chose her friendship with Winter over mine; how could I argue against that?"

Blackburn tilted her head and paused for a moment. "Yes, well… more to it than that. Thought it obvious, that everypony could see it, but could be wrong."

"See what, exactly?"

Blackburn set her hoof on Dawn's shoulder again. "Do not concern yourself with that. As said, a pony can have multiple friends. Some better than others, closer than others, yes. Sometimes more than that, too. Biased against seeing it because of your orientation, perhaps."

"My… orientation?"

"Aromantic, asexual."

"I never revealed—"

"Figured it out myself."

"Ah. Still, how would that have anything to do with— Nevermind. I am not sure exactly what you mean, but I think I understand the intention of the message." Dawn shook her head. "But how? How can I hope to mend all of these relationships? None of my sisters would likely even accept any attempts by me to make amends."

"Can only try. If you fail, try again. Simple concept."

"Yes, I suppose." Dawn shook her head. "Why are you making an attempt to assist me? I was under the impression that you despise me as much as any of them, perhaps moreso."

Blackburn hummed, tapping her chin. "Hmm. Maybe. But have been observing you lately, seen what is happening. As said, recalled my experiences with stepmother, recognized in your experiences. I regret being unable to fix it before her end. And… if plans fail, would not wish you to have same regret."

Dawn just looked at Blackburn a moment, then nodded. "Thank you, then. Your concern is… appreciated." She sighed and shook her head. "I still do not even know where to begin. I have never engaged in a heart-to-heart with another pony before, let alone a friend or family member."

Blackburn smirked. "This isn't a 'heart-to-heart'?"

Dawn paused, looking at Blackburn again. "I… yes, I suppose it is. But we are not—" She paused again, unsure what to make of the conversation anymore. "Are we… friends?"

"If you want us to be, then yes, we are," was Blackburn's simple response.

Dawn paused again, then smiled lightly and nodded. "I… think I would like that, Your Majesty. Blackburn. Thank you."

"Mmhmm." Blackburn then hopped off of her stool and offered to help Dawn off hers. "You should get cleaned up."

Dawn accepted Blackburn's help climbing down from her stool, then glanced back at the… mess that she'd left and grimaced. "I apologize. I have never partaken in such hard liquor before and my body has been under duress for days. I fear that the combination was not ideal. Should I assist with cleaning—"

"No need. Have staff for that, used to cleaning up after lightweight mares crying and puking in here after hours." A pause. "Though Gadget usually warns me first."

Dawn paused as well, then she and Blackburn shared a good laugh, a laugh she hadn't had in many, many years.

Chapter Twenty-One: Repair

Rarity was briefly awoken by the sensation of movement in the bed. Her internal clock was telling her it was… too early o'clock, but then that was rather typical these past several days.

She preferred to get her beauty sleep; always had, always would. Not that she minded the little disturbances, of course. It was just a rather pleasant reminder that she hadn't gone to bed alone the night before, and that the pony sharing her bed had had the decency to wait until morning to leave.

She felt a kiss on her forehead, heard another kiss on another forehead behind her; she couldn't see who it was because she had her sleep mask on, but she already knew that Lockwood was getting up early this morning to attend to some business matters with the southern delegates. That, and Lockwood had a delightful lack of morning breath that any pony would envy; she'd know it was him based on that fact alone.

No words needed to be exchanged; this was just how things were.

This left Blackburn to tighten her hold around Rarity's midsection a little bit once Lockwood had left the room, because if anypony was going to be the big spoon of course it was going to be the Iron Queen. Rarity actually liked being the little spoon most of the time, but she found it funny that she was the big spoon to Lockwood's little spoon. Did that make her the middle spoon?

Blackburn gently kissed up along Rarity's neck before burying her muzzle there and staying where she was, hooves gently caressing Rarity's sides. Blackburn was a very physical partner, even when cuddling; it was always just a little exciting. Not enough to actually wake Rarity up, but enough to make her feel comfortable.

"Mmm… you came back to bed awfully late last night…" Rarity murmured, just barely cognizant enough to mumble out the words.

Blackburn nodded, her nose brushing Rarity's coat. "Deployment took longer than I wanted. Wish it could've waited for morning. Also had… another urgent matter to attend to."

"It's alright, sweetheart. I know how important this all is to you, to everypony." Rarity let out a little yawn, then snuggled back against her queen. "Fill me in in the morning, hmm?"

"It is morning."

Rarity snorted once; it was too early for jokes. "You know what I mean."

Blackburn chuckled, sending little ripples through Rarity's skin. "Mmhmm. Go back to sleep, marshmallow. Thinking… pancakes for breakfast…"

"Mmhmm… lovely pancakes…"

As Rarity drifted back off to sleep, she couldn't help but wonder how in the world she'd managed to end up where she was right now. Well, not the exact events to right now right now, those she knew, but just the whole general situation. This wasn't how she imagined her storybook romance to be at all, not how she ever imagined her life would turn out. Honestly, this wasn't anywhere near as good as her old notions of love told her things ought to be.

No, it was better.

*****

Rarity had never been to the Hope's Point militia's training facility before. She'd had no interest in doing so of her own accord, actually, and honestly there'd just never been reason to do so. Today, however, she was making an exception, though it wasn't going to be a regular thing, certainly. She had no reason to use the facility herself; she preferred to do her pilates and yoga stretches in private.

Zyra was a fine partner in that respect, actually. Rarity had a personal trainer back home, a handsome stallion named Thunderlane incidentally—Rainbow had recommended him since he was a Wonderbolt who did personal training as a hobby—but Zyra was on a different wavelength and had a different focus. Not that Rarity ever minded Thunderlane's drifting eyes.

But that was beside the point. Where was she? Oh yes, the training center.

Now, once upon a time, back when she'd been much younger, Rarity might have considered coming to an establishment such as this to… study the masculine forms that were on display. Yes, study. For making suits and such, of course. No other reason. After all, stallions came in all shapes and sizes, didn't they? Same as mares did. It was purely for her to better understand proper proportions.

But now that Rarity was older, and especially now that she had a special somepony—someponies—in her life, she didn't really have much of an interest in it at all, not even for fashion potential. After all, she had access to Lockwood and his entire family and even Crossfire if she ever needed to get measurements for a suit.

She and Zyra were dressed to impress, as always, appropriately so for the occasion and the venue, meaning that their clothes were casual and light but eye-popping. Rarity had relished the opportunity to give her new friend and guardian a sort of makeover, as it were, though only insofar as clothing and makeup were concerned; Zyra's mane and tail styles were culturally significant, and so Rarity would never dream of altering them.

As such, Zyra's simple white robes—she had multiple—had been given adjustments in form and fit so that they were both fashionable and functional, showing off the zebra mare's athletic tone without being overly provocative while still keeping her warm in the cooler weather. Rarity had even spruced up the mare's sword sheath so that the straps were more comfortable around her midsection.

They found Applejack after walking through the facility for only a minute or two, with Rarity noticing eyes drifting their way enough for it to be exciting but not enough for them to evolve into catcalls and wolf whistles, which was the perfect level of attention a mare wanted to receive, of course. Fashionable, attractive, but not scandalous.

Now, when Rarity saw Applejack, she was a little intrigued by what she saw. The form-fitting training gear the other mare was wearing was, well, form-fitting; Rarity was used to seeing Applejack's muscular figure without clothes back home, but something about wearing tight spandex over it just made the muscles pop. It was actually quite impressive; maybe Applejack was just putting on more muscle?

The poor mare was also covered with sweat, though it was clear that most of it had dried. Applejack was currently on a break, it seemed, leaning casually against the edge of the training ring that Rarity and Zyra had found her at and sipping water from a bottle, sometimes splashing a little onto her face and neck. There were a few stallions and mares nearby that noticed; Applejack, on the other hoof, didn't seem to notice them.

Rarity could understand why Trenderhoof had fallen head over hooves for the mare; Applejack was much too attractive to be stuck on some farm, but Rarity had given up on convincing her of that years ago.

She hated what had happened to Applejack's tail, though. It was simply dreadful how that luxurious rivulet of golden blonde had become just this short, stubby little thing. What made it worse was that Applejack refused to use magic or potions or anything of the sort to regrow it; Rarity had half a mind to sneak into her friend's room and take matters into her own hooves.

"Applejack, darling, how are you?" Rarity asked as she and Zyra approached, pushing her disapproving thoughts aside.

Applejack barely drew herself from whatever reverie she was in to acknowledge Rarity's presence. "Just fine, sugarcube. Takin' a lil' break is all."

"Yes, I can see that. I assume that your training is going well, then?"

"Sure is. You here ta check in on me?"

"That certainly is one reason, yes. Rainbow Dash—bless her heart—simply can't go five minutes without telling everypony how 'cool' it is to be training with Havoc and learning how her newfound abilities work, so I've got a pretty good idea how things are going on her end."

Applejack chuckled. "Yeah, 'spose so."

"You, however, barely talk about how you're doing," Rarity said, poking Applejack's shoulder gently; she could feel the tense muscles underneath easily and again, was quite impressed. "Good heavens, you certainly have put on a bit more muscle, though, haven't you?"

Applejack tilted her head slightly; her attention still was still on the training ring. "Yeah, I'm doin' just fine on that front. Got good teachers."

Rarity nodded in understanding, though she couldn't help but notice that Applejack was still focused intently on something in the training ring. She was used to Applejack sometimes being so focused on work that she could hardly pay attention to anything else, but that was work. Ignoring her now seemed awfully rude.

"Applejack dear, what's gotten your attention so strongly that you can't even turn to face me, hmm?"

"Oh. Sorry, Rares," Applejack said, taking another sip from her water but still not turning to face Rarity; only her eyes darted over, and only for a second. "Just 'mirin'."

"Just… 'mirin'? You mean 'admiring'?"

"S'what I said, ain't it?"

"Admiring what?"

Zyra tapped Rarity's shoulder and gestured into the training ring; her eyes were wide with… excitement? "I think she means that, My Lady."

Rarity turned and looked into the arena to see what all the fuss was about, and immediately understood what it was. "Ohh."

It wasn't every day that one got the opportunity to see a particularly muscular, handsome stallion working so hard and in such an… enticing way. To see sweat glistening off of muscles, muscles that tensed and stretched and strained with every movement, barely contained within a tight-fitting training uniform just like Applejack's that made everything just pop.

It was even rarer to see two such stallions in close enough proximity to compare and contrast the two, like measuring the difference between two particularly fine melons and trying to decide which one was more ripe. It was even rarer still for the two stallions to be engaged in some sort of physical activity together—in this case, wrestling—that just made muscle press against muscle.

Now, Rarity would never deny that she found Flathoof to be an attractive stallion—not her type—but she'd never admit that to Applejack's face. Not because Applejack liked him in such a way, of course, but because their friendship was such that Flathoof and Applejack might as well have been brother and sister. The fact that Flathoof almost exactly resembled Big Macintosh as it was at least made that comparison easier to swallow.

But Rarity would be a liar if she didn't say that he looked particularly… enticing at the moment. He'd definitely put on a lot of muscle in these last seven years.

But oh, then there was his wrestling partner, a well-built zebra stallion who quite nearly matched Flathoof in size but otherwise had a very similar build. He was certainly quite handsome, in a rugged sort of way, and his mane and tail just seemed at home when drenched in sweat, like that was their natural state. He, like Flathoof, was wearing one of those tight-fitting uniforms, and, well… it left just enough to the imagination.

"Yes… admiring indeed," Rarity murmured, herself transfixed on the sight she beheld. She wished she'd thought to bring her paper fan with her; she was desperate for a cool breeze all of a sudden.

She barely registered that Applejack was passing her a fresh bottle of water, which Rarity absently accepted, opened, and drank from—goodness did that cool drink help—before passing it to Zyra in turn, who took a drink of her own.

"Zyra, dear, is that the stallion you were speaking of?" Rarity asked, not taking her eyes off of the two bulky stallions as they continued to struggle against one another. She didn't know who was winning between the two, but she felt like a winner right now.

"Mmhmm," Zyra said, her tone hinting at the grin on her lips. "Sir Zircon, Knight of the Black Flame. He is famous back home for his might as a warrior, one of the finest in all of zebra history. He is also well-known for his philanthropy, for he often visits the outer walls of the city and mingles with the common folk."

"Ah, I see. He must be quite popular."

"Indeed. I have also heard he is quite popular in Utopia amongst the ponies, a rarity for our people as we typically only get on well with House Snow in Frostburg." A long pause. "Though I heard that such popularity mostly extends only to mares. Stallions, not so much."

"Hmm, I wonder why." Rarity looked at Applejack, forcing herself to take her eyes off the wrestling hunks for a moment; it was getting very warm in here, it seemed. "Applejack, you mentioned you had 'teachers', plural? I take it that Sir Zircon is the other, alongside our good friend Flathoof?"

Applejack nodded and sipped from her water again; Rarity found it amusing that even the self-proclaimed independent mare couldn't help but eat the eye candy. "Yup. He's a mighty fine teacher, I tell ya what. I'm learnin' lots from him, an' Flathoof too."

Rarity's eyes drifted back to the display—oh my, that particular hold was just too much. "Yes. Fine indeed." She turned to Zyra. "You said that you knew Zircon before you left Zeb'ra'den?"

"Only briefly," Zyra admitted with a slight shrug. "As a Priestess of Layk, I met many stallions and mares within our city's nobility, for our rituals are considered a sacred duty. It was always an honor to provide such aid to newlywed pairs, you see."

Rarity nodded in understanding. "That's right, you said that you and your Sisterhood would, ahem, 'assist' such couples with the consummation of their marriages. You made it sound both touchingly romantic and yet, ah… enticing as well." A pause as she glanced back at Zircon, then to Zyra again. "Wait, did you—"

Zyra shook her head. "Oh, no, Sir Zircon never partook in the ceremony himself, at least not before I left Zeb'ra'den, for he was unmarried. Still is, I believe. I met him once when he escorted a cousin, Lord Zeppidi, to the temple following his marriage to Lady Zena." She smiled. "I was not assigned to their ceremony, but Sir Zircon stayed a moment to speak with me. He was quite friendly."

Rarity's grin widened. "Ahh, is that why we're here, darling? A chance to meet him again, in hopes of rekindling something? What about your dear Commander Pinpoint?"

"No, My Lady, you misunderstand," Zyra said, shaking her head. "He recognized me, for he had seen me training with my sword in the snow outside the city walls. He encouraged me to practice, told me that I had some skill. I admire him as a warrior, nothing more." A pause, then a shrug. "Though he is not bad to look at, hmm?"

"Oh no, not at all," Rarity tittered.

It was perfectly okay to admit it, so long as she was only looking. She was quite happy with her arrangement with Lockwood and Blackburn. Ooh, a thought just occurred to her: Blackburn would look simply delectable in some tight spandex. Lockwood would likely appreciate that quite a bit. Now, as for the color…

Applejack grunted, but she didn't say anything, which was odd, but Rarity didn't pry. Had she been listening to the conversation?

A moment later, the two hunky stallions broke away from one another, signaled an end to their match, then gave each other a brief hoofshake before they grabbed towels and water to dry off sweat and rehydrate, respectively.

Flathoof walked over to the gaggle of mares first and gave a polite nod to the new arrivals. "Rarity, Zyra, fancy seeing you two here," he said with a smile. "Something we can help you with?"

"Oh, nothing my dear. I just wished to check in on Applejack, to see how she was doing with her training regimen," Rarity said with a smile of her own, nose in the air a little. "After all, somepony needs to check in on her every once in a while. She spends almost all of her time here with you nowadays."

"Well, I think she's coming along with her training quite nicely. A little more work and she'll be kicking my butt every day of the week." Flathoof then gave Applejack a little salute. "I'm gonna go hit the showers, AJ; I gotta get going so I can pick up Green and Rose from school. I'll catch you later?"

Applejack nodded back. "Yup, see ya later, Flats. Say hi ta the kids fer me, y'hear?"

"Of course!" He nodded at Rarity and Zyra again. "Ladies, a pleasure."

Rarity watched Flathoof go—she didn't stare, but she could see what Gray liked about him—before turning her attention back to Applejack, and to Sir Zircon, who was now approaching. The large zebra stallion stepped over the ropes that kept the training ring separated from the walkways of the facility, and came over to Applejack first.

"Didst thou enjoyeth the display, Applejack?" he asked; Rarity had heard from Zyra that zebras from Zeb'ra'den spoke with an Old Equish dialect, but it was still odd to hear it for the first time. Rather like those lovely old plays by the poet Shake Spear.

Now, Rarity was absolutely positive that his tone was utterly serious and legitimate, not even the slightest hint of slyness to be found. This she found both surprising and impressive; any regular stallion would have made the comment because it had been obvious that three mares had been staring at him, but either as a joke, or with a definite flirtatious undertone.

But there was none present. Rarity could tell, as she'd heard that sort of tone all the time when she'd been younger and "scoping out studs" at the gym, as Rainbow would likely put it, although nothing of the sort had ever happened. Honest.

"Yup, sure did. An' you're right, I need ta work on my stance a bit. Flathoof tossed me 'round real good earlier 'cause I weren't anchored right, but he couldn't move you at all," Applejack replied, equally serious. She then gestured towards Rarity and Zyra. "Oh yeah, an' we got us an audience today, looks like."

Zircon smiled and turned to face the newcomers. "Ah, I didst not even… notice…" he trailed off, his eyes suddenly locked with Rarity's. "Aye, and 'tis a shame on my part that I didst not. Nay, 'tis an insult that mine eyes didst not glimpse such splendor sooner." He then bowed his head politely. "Apologies, fair maiden, for my rudeness."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Rarity tittered; this stallion certainly was a charmer, wasn't he? "My friend and I were just so captivated by your display of… ahem, skill, that we didn't introduce ourselves sooner. We didn't want to disturb the lovely show. Er, match. I'm Rarity."

"Rarity. 'Tis a lovely name for a lovely mare, and thou art indeed quite lovely. Thy coat is as pure and white as the southern snows bathed in the light of the moons." He graciously took Rarity's hoof in his. "And thou art… thou art…"

He paused, then glanced down; his hoof had brushed against her unity trinket bracelet. His expression softened; he looked almost heartbroken. "Ah. I see. 'Twould seem that I must again asketh thee for apologies, My Lady, for yet another transgression. 'Tis unbecoming for a knight to behaveth so roguishly."

Rarity tilted her head. "Oh?"

"Aye, I fear that I hath overstepped my bounds and didst allow my heart to cloud my judgment. 'Tis obvious, now that I hath had mine eyes opened; a goddess such as thee couldst only ever be a fantasy, a dream to chase, but not to live." He put his hoof over his heart. "But my heart shalt live on, My Lady. Feareth not for me."

"I… alright?" Rarity leaned slightly to whisper to Zyra. "I haven't the slightest idea what's going on, dear, do you?"

Zyra leaned over and whispered back, "He noticed your unity trinket, My Lady, and realized that he 'has no chance' to be with you, as they would say here in the north. He's trying to save face by being poetic about it. Just carry on as if nothing had happened, trust me."

"Oh. Very well, then." Rarity cleared her throat, then gave Zircon a polite smile and a nod. "Ahem. Yes, and it is quite a pleasure to meet you too, Sir Zircon. I've heard a lot about you from my friend, Zyra," she said, tilting her head towards her bodyguard.

Zircon lifted his head and looked at Zyra, eyebrow raised. "Zyra, 'tis a name that I know, though one that I'd heard long ago."

Zyra nodded and smiled. "I'm surprised that you recognize me, Sir, considering how many years it's been, and how short our meeting was. You honor me with your memory."

Zircon looked like he was about to interject, looking just a little surprised and unnerved, but Zyra held up a hoof to stop him.

"And you needn't use your meter and rhyme with me, good Sir. In Hope's Point, we do not have the same social hierarchy as you have in Zeb'ra'den, and I am a citizen here now and am to be treated as such. Though I may still bear the stripes of our people, you may treat me as you would any pony."

Zircon raised an eyebrow, then looked to Rarity for confirmation. "My Lady, might I ask: be this true?"

"Yes, good Sir," Rarity replied with a nod. "They don't use that sort of system at all here, and Zyra is indeed a citizen of Hope's Point."

"Then with thy permission, might I speaketh plainly with her?"

"Um. Yes?"

He nodded, then turned back to Zyra and smiled. "Very well, then, Zyra. Aye, I remember thee from our brief encounter in the snows outside the walls of Zeb'ra'den. That sheath upon thy back telleth me that thou hast taken my words to heart; thou hast taken up thy blade for a cause."

"Indeed, Sir, I have."

Zircon nodded and smiled again. "'Tis a small world indeed, to see thee here under such circumstances. Mayhap I couldst speaketh with thee later? 'Twould seem quite the tale as to how thou hast come to be here." He then cleared his throat and turned back to Applejack. "But first, my 'squire' requires training! Applejack, art thou rested enough for a spar?"

Applejack, whose eyes had been locked on Rarity and Zyra for several moments now, turned slowly to Zircon. "Yeah. I'm good ta go for another round witcha."

"Excellent." Zircon turned and nodded low to both Rarity and Zyra. "Thou art welcome to watch, if thou dost wisheth to do so."

"I suppose we can watch a little bit," Rarity said with a grin. "I came here to see how my friend Applejack's training was going after all, and what better way to find out than to observe her in a sparring session with her strapping instructor?"

"Thou dost honor me with thy praise, My Lady. Mine only hope is that I might meet thy expectations."

Applejack grunted and hopped over the ropes and into the ring. "Yeah yeah, Rares, I'm sure that's why you're stickin' around."

Rarity and Zyra took up spots to get a good view of the… sparring session—and that was all—which almost immediately got underway when Zircon signaled for Applejack to start.

Now, Rarity had seen Applejack fight before, and not just in the adventurous fights against ne'er-do-wells that she and her friends often became embroiled in over the years. Those were relatively simple engagements all things considered, which Rarity found quite odd; how was it that Applejack could be so calm and collected when fighting for her life against evil creatures?

She thought this because she'd also seen Applejack get into a fight once when somepony was being very… well, Rarity would say uncouth and very much unlike a gentlecolt was supposed to act around a lady. Not to say that Rarity hadn't been ready to defend her own honor, but Applejack had just been quicker about it. And a bit more violent.

Seeing Applejack fight now, though, was an odd mix somewhere between the two. Applejack was definitely fighting with an actual style and purpose, moving about like she was locked in an actual battle against someone out to do her harm, though Rarity knew Zircon was not out to do any such thing.

However, Applejack was also putting the kind of force into her blows that indicated a desire to "show 'em what's what" as she would likely say, and she had an intensity in her eyes that Rarity didn't often see there.

Not that Zircon was being caught blindsided like that other stallion had been all those years back, no; Zircon was meeting Applejack blow for blow, taking hits and striking back like a proper sparring partner should. If anything he looked impressed by Applejack's impassioned display, maybe slightly surprised.

Rarity and Zyra watched the back and forth for a few moments, until Rarity was satisfied that she'd really seen enough. "Applejack, darling, we're going to head out now," she called into the ring at the sparring pair. "And it was lovely meeting you, Sir Zircon."

"Fare thee well, My Lady!" Zircon called back, not taking his attention off of Applejack for a second. "And to thee, Zyra!"

"Yeah, later," Applejack grunted, barely loud enough that Rarity could hear her; she was too focused on her sparring to pay attention to anything else, apparently.

With that, Rarity and Zyra turned and headed out, striking up a conversation on where they were going after this; lunch and some shopping seemed appropriate enough. After all, it seemed as if Applejack had things well in hoof with her training. Though, some small part of Rarity told her that there was something just a little… off about her friend's sudden change in behavior.

Oh well. Food for thought.

*****

Havoc arrived at the little diner only a few minutes later than when she was supposed to arrive. There was a perfectly valid reason for it, which mostly involved Cotton Rose, some chocolate syrup, a bottle of tequila, and an entire can of whipped cream, but nopony else needed to know the specifics. She knew that Gray wouldn't blame her; the two were newlyweds after all.

Though she and Cotton did still need to make plans for their honeymoon soon. Havoc just felt it was better now to wait until after dealing with the world coming to an end. After all, maybe there was a vacation destination in Dash's Equestria that was really good for this sort of thing. Dash said something about the Haywaiian Islands? Sun, sand, and sea sounded awesome, and she really wanted to see Cotton in a swimsuit.

Sure enough Gray was already here and just leaning back in her seat in the booth, casually tossing a ball in the air and catching it, again, again, and again. Havoc waved; Gray waved back in between catches.

Havoc took her seat. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Got, uh, caught up finishing something at home. You know how it is."

Gray smirked and shook her head. "Hey, kudos to you on even getting out of the house. I barely managed it myself, y'know? So, how's married life treating you?"

"Y'know, it's exactly the same as it was before we got married, only now instead of saying that I'm heading back to Cotton's place when I'm done doing stuff, I get to say I'm going home. Oh, and I've gotta sign for shit so that Cotton can share my benefits." Havoc took a little breath and smiled. "It's nice. Relaxing."

"The doctors give you an idea on how well you're doing now? Are the check-ups going well?"

"Yeah, everything's working out pretty good stress-wise. Doc said if I keep it up he can set my file back to 'Recovered' instead of this 'Relapse' shit. I keep tellin' him, 'Doc, let me have a smoke and I'll be set for life', but nooo, fuckin' new-ass lungs aren't ready for my pack-a-day system."

Gray caught her ball and kept it in her hooves. "Probably a good thing then. You know that's not good for you, right?"

Havoc rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't you start. Cotton's been trying to get me to quit for two years, and it's only been worse since all this shit," she said, gesturing at her scars. "And Curie's even worse. You know that the second she found out I was back in Pandora Tower last month, she snuck into my room and got rid of all of my cigs? Even the hidden emergency stash?"

"Hmph. Good for her."

"Psh! She even put out a memo to the entire tower staff not to let me bum one off them, and I just know she probably set something up to keep me from buying any. Probably rigged the sprinklers to go off if I lit up." Havoc shook her head and ran a hoof through her mane. "I don't know how the fuck I'm not dealing with withdrawals. Lucky me, I guess."

"You took shrapnel to half your insides and they all had to get replaced or patched up. Maybe that's got something to do with it?"

Havoc shrugged. "Eh. Maybe. So, uh, what'd you wanna talk about anyway? Not me quitting smoking, I hope, 'cause if you called me out here for that—"

"Huh?" Gray asked. "The hell are you talking about? You invited me. I was gonna give you shit for being late to your own meeting."

"The hell are you talking about? You invited me."

There was a flash and a pop to the side of the table, and Dawn teleported into the diner with… surprisingly little fuss. The diner was mostly empty right now, anyway, so there wasn't much of a crowd or staff to react to the situation, but still.

Gray sighed and shook her head. "I knew something was up. I knew it. Figures."

Dawn adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. "Apologies for the deception, sisters. But I was under the impression that you would not wish to meet with me if I asked—"

"Yup," Havoc said as she rose from her seat. "I told you to fuck off, Dawn, and I meant it. I'm outta here."

Havoc then shoved her way out of the booth and started for the diner exit.

"Havoc! Wait!" Dawn called, following behind her. "I wish to speak with you and Gray, just for a moment. Please."

Havoc paused, her ears perking up, and she turned in surprise. "Did… did you just say 'please'?"

"I did." Dawn gestured back towards the booth, where even Gray had frozen midway through getting up to leave. "Sit back down and hear me out. If you wish to depart at any point during the conversation, you may do so, and I will not deter you. But please, just… just let me talk to you, if only for a few minutes."

"The fuck?" Havoc blinked, looking Dawn up and down briefly. "Curaçao, is that you? 'Cause really, you're doing a good job of fuckin' with me. I almost bought it."

"I assure you that I am not Curaçao, as she is still up north. If you require evidence: you witnessed me teleporting into the immediate vicinity, which she cannot do."

"Nuh-uh, I'm not convinced. Maybe you're a really advanced robot or something. Say something that only Dawn would say, something that only she and I would know about."

Dawn blinked, then nodded. "Aha, very well. A few weeks ago, just before Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie entered into my office, you and I were engaged in a private, heated argument. At one point you referred to me utilizing a particularly vulgar term that references female genitalia."

"Uh-huh. And what word is that?"

Dawn's eyes nervously darted back and forth. "Do… do you really wish for me to utter it here? Now? In public?"

Havoc smirked and shook her head. "You're Dawn alright. A robot would've been just fine with calling me a cunt if they had the chance. Shit, I'd do it if we traded places."

She paused a moment, then glanced to the side and noticed that she was in front of a booth currently seating a small family, including a young filly and a teenage colt. The father was holding his hooves over the filly's ears and just staring wide-eyed in horror at Havoc; the mother's evil eye was so good that Havoc was afraid of having a heart attack; the teenage colt… well, he was hanging onto every word.

"Oh. Uh… sorry. Pardon my Romantique." She smiled, waved, then hustled back over to the booth that Gray was still in.

Dawn shook her head and pulled up a chair so that she was at the head of the table and could address both of them without having to sit next to either of them, which ironically was something Dawn would do to show off her authority, but also something Havoc and Gray would want her to do, so it was hard to tell whether this was another odd sign or not.

"Havoc, Gray, I wanted to start by informing the both of you that I will be returning to New Pandemonium immediately following this meeting so that I might retake my position as Shadow Associate and allow Curaçao's focus to remain entirely on investigating the Redblade Mountains."

"Wait, you are?" Havoc asked, blinking. "I thought Curie was handling both of those just fine on her own? That's what Gray told me anyway."

"She is, of course, but I wish to alleviate some of the pressure. She has been keeping in contact with me daily and I am of the opinion that she could use some reprieve. Finding the Nihila cultists will require her utmost attention, and the stress of both that and her Committee duties—my Committee duties—surely does little for her mental health, particularly interacting in any capacity with Treasurer Vendetta."

Gray's jaw hung open slightly. "Uh… yeah, I guess it wouldn't do wonders at all." She held up a hoof. "Hang on though. I thought you were leaving Curaçao up there to keep handling all that because the southern delegation is leaving south tonight, and they're bringing a bunch of folks with them?"

"Yeah, Dash already told me that the royal family's going, Twilight and the others are going, and so are Winter and Hourglass. I thought you were going too?"

"New Pandemonium does require a representative in this diplomatic endeavor, correct," Dawn agreed, steepling her hooves under her chin. "But as said, I will be departing for home immediately following this meeting. Thus, I require another representative to go south in my stead. Ambassador Grey Skies, I believe this would be a suitable assignment for you."

Gray's eyes widened, and she pointed at herself in surprise. "Me? You want me to go instead of you?"

"Correct. As the Ambassador to Hope's Point, you are already more well-acquainted with southern customs than I am in… many respects. You know Pandemonia better than anypony except for perhaps Lorekeeper Gilderoy, and you are on good terms with the entire delegation." Dawn paused, then nodded firmly. "I believe that you would perform this task admirably."

Gray's head tilted so far to the side that Havoc was surprised it didn't fall clean off. "You… you're serious. You want me to go… because you think that I'd do a good job? Not just because it's logical, or because you want to get out of doing it?"

Dawn nodded again. "Correct. I have obtained some glowing reviews of your performance from Queen Blackburn herself, so I have no doubt in my mind that you would do a 'good job'. A great job, in fact. I believe that even Curaçao would agree with me on this."

"Wait wait wait, you're also telling us this isn't Curie's idea?" Havoc asked, utterly blindsided by that.

"On the contrary, she does not know about it yet. I plan on surprising her when I return home; I think she will… 'get kicked'? Is that the proper turn of phrase?"

"'Get a kick out of it'," Gray corrected flatly. "I…" She paused, then held up her hooves. "Okay, and what if I refuse?"

Dawn tilted her head. "Hmm?"

"What if I don't want to go along with this? What if I tell you that I won't play whatever game you're playing here?"

"Oh. Well, first of all, I am not 'playing' any 'game' here, sister, I can assure you of that. My request is quite serious. However, if you do not wish to participate, then either I will require an alternative representative, or I will simply have to fulfil the role myself. I would rather not; as said, I intend to return home to help relieve Curaçao of her extraneous duties."

Gray just stared at Dawn for a long moment, then leaned back into the booth. "Huh. Well… I don't know what the hell's gotten into you, but alright, I'm game for this. I'll need to get foalsitters for the kids—"

"You can bring them along, if you think it would be appropropriate," Dawn noted. "Sunspire and Serendipity have already requested that they be allowed to go along on the retreat, and I am of the opinion that your son Green Guard would enjoy their company, and vice versa. I would ask that you assist in keeping an eye on the two, if you could."

Gray's jaw dropped a little. "Wow… okay, yeah, that sounds… good. We were planning on taking a family vacation before the sandstorm hit, after the peace treaty signing, but, I mean… this'll do just fine."

Dawn smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Thank you, Gray. I appreciate the assistance in these matters." She then turned to Havoc. "Havoc, sister, I also have a request for you."

Havoc crossed her hooves over her chest; she didn't buy for a second that she was going to get anything like what Gray just got. "Alright, I'm listening."

"Given that we do not know what form this conflict with Nihila might take, we must be prepared for any eventuality. Naturally New Pandemonium is prepared to deploy the NPAF, and Queen Blackburn has already informed me that Hope's Point's fleet and militia are also prepared to deploy if necessary.

"However, the NPAF and the Hope's Point fleet have little interaction with one another and as such a joint effort might be… sloppy. We cannot afford to be sloppy, given the stakes. As such, the NPAF and Hope's Point's fleet require an attaché of sorts, a coordinator, to get both fleets and militaries onto the same page.

"As you are living here in Hope's Point, you are well-positioned to interact with the current Fleet Master of Hope's Point, Highwind; I believe he was only recently appointed? In any case, Queen Blackburn has already spoken with Fleet Master Highwind on the matter and he will accept communication from you if you make contact, and equipment will be made available to allow communication with Admiral Jetstream."

Havoc forgot at which point in the spiel that her jaw had dropped, and she was glad that Gray reached across the table to close it for her now. "You're shitting me, right? You really want me to be in charge of coordinating both our militaries for some sort of joint operation?"

Dawn tilted her head. "Hmm… no. The Admiral and Fleet Master would still be in charge of the operation. I am merely requesting that you, as somepony with intimate knowledge of both sides, serve as a 'third party' to coordinate their efforts efficiently and effectively. Nopony here in Hope's Point knows the NPAF better than you do, and you are acquainted enough with Hope's Point to know how best they could work in tandem."

"So… you're not shitting me? You're serious? You want me to do this? Me? Me?" Havoc threw her hooves into the air in disbelief. "Dawn, seriously, you have gotta let me know where you got whatever fuckin' drugs you're on, because holy shit, you're talkin' pure nonsense right now. You must high as a fuckin' kite."

Dawn adjusted her glasses. "I assure you, sister, I am completely and utterly sober. No narcotics whatsoever."

Havoc slumped back into the booth as Gray had done. "I… I don't know what to say…"

"If you do not wish to do it—"

"No no, fuck yeah I'll do it. I just don't know what to say to you. Where the fuck is all this coming from? Why are you acting so… not-a-bitch-like? 'Cause I'm used to you acting like a total bitch even when you're trying to give us something or say something nice, and I'm not getting any of that right now."

"If Havoc hadn't confirmed it earlier I'd be accusing you of being some sort of imposter right now," Gray added. "I'm still not exactly sure. What gives?"

Dawn let out a sigh and removed her glasses for a moment; she looked tired, amongst other things. "It has come to my attention that I have not been treating my friends and family with the proper respect. I have been, as Havoc has said… a 'bitch', if not worse. I know that what I have done is wrong, and I know that I want to fix it. I do not wish to have regrets should we fail in our mission to stop Nihila.

"However… I know that it will not be easy to earn forgiveness for my actions, especially not from you two. I have treated the two of you worse than anypony, and for that, I am sorry. I cannot begin to think of how to repair our relationship, sisters… but I want to try.

"As such, I…" A pause. "I think that a good first step, an olive branch so to speak, is to begin treating the two of you with the respect that you deserve, which begins with acknowledging your skills, providing you with responsibilities and trust, and showing that I appreciate you as individuals."

"I mean… alright?" Havoc muttered, blinking.

Dawn held up a hoof. "I do not expect a response, nor do I want one just yet. I want you two to take these assignments that I have requested of you and to do what I know you can do with them. Once things have settled down a little more… we can share some heart-to-heart talks to discuss what I have done wrong and where I can improve, as a sister, and as a pony.

"Until then, I do not wish for anything from either of you except for you to keep an open mind. And Havoc, if you could kindly apologize to your wife on my behalf for this deception, as I believe that it would upset her if she knew."

"Uh… sure?"

Dawn then got out of her seat and replaced her glasses on her face. "As said, I am returning north immediately after this discussion is over, and I feel that it is best for all three of us if I end it here. So, farewell for now, sisters. And… good luck."

With that, she vanished in a flash and a pop, leaving a thoroughly confused and contemplative Havoc and Gray behind.

*****

Twilight was a little overwhelmed with all the… hullabaloo that was abound at the moment. Channeling her inner Golden Dawn, she had carefully chosen that particular word to describe it: hullabaloo. Mayhem was too negative a term; commotion and ruckus didn't quite feel strong enough; pandemonium might have been amusingly appropriate, but confusing if she brought it up to anyone else. So hullabaloo it was.

There was quite a gathering present in the hangars down below Hope's Point tonight, specifically in the bay for one of the larger transport ships, the Whale of the Skies. It was quite an appropriate ship name, as the vessel was not only large enough to compare to a whale, but its shape was rather whale-like as well. That this ship was meant to fly, not sail, amused Twilight greatly; it didn't seem particularly aerodynamic, but she wasn't about to argue.

The need for such a large ship was of course because there was a large gathering of creatures preparing to embark on the journey south:

Twilight was going, naturally, and all of her friends were going as well if only to help lend credence to their otherworldly tale; six mares were better than one in this case. Since this was generally just a purely diplomatic mission, Twilight was under no delusions that there would be anything to worry about, if only because the south seemed utterly peaceful and calm compared to the north. They were safer leaving rather than staying, and safer sticking together at that.

Winter and Hourglass were coming for obvious reasons. If anypony could explain the nature of this world-threatening situation they were all in better than Winter could, Twilight wanted to meet them to ask a few questions. But there wasn't any such pony, or other creature for that matter.

Gray Skies was coming along to represent New Pandemonium, which Twilight found odd. Not that she disapproved, it was just odd, since she'd expected Dawn to want to fill that role. In fact, Twilight hadn't even seen Dawn at all since yesterday's argument, despite attempts to talk to her afterwards. Gray was also bringing her family along for the trip, which was nice; everypony could use a little vacation every now and then, after all.

Queen Blackburn was going along to represent Hope's Point, naturally, and bringing her entire family as well for much the same reasons that Gray was. The city's Council would handle city affairs in the meantime. The entourage naturally included the royal bodyguards, Gadget and Crossfire, the latter of whom was bringing along his wife Pattycake.

There was also Zyra, who Twilight thought was just Rarity's friend, so… Twilight didn't know why she was coming? She was nice enough, though.

Lorekeeper Gilderoy was joining them as well, since his presence would lend further credence to their stories, and because he was the only creature present that knew how to operate the southern Beacon and could instruct Harmonia or the zebras on how to deactivate it.

The last two guests were Sunspire and Serendipity, wards of Dawn's that had expressed an interest in seeing the south and witnessing the goings-on of the traveling party. Seeing as the south was, again, a peaceful place where evil and danger were rare indeed, Twilight didn't have a problem with it at all and actually thought it was nice to have them along. They'd never seen the south, after all.

Oh, and of course the southern delegates were returning home too. That went without saying.

There was much too much to keep track of as the boarding procedures got underway, too many conversations between too many ponies that Twilight couldn't follow it all. It was kind of nice that most groups had divided themselves into "cliques" of sorts, straight of high school it seemed like.

The southerners made up one group, though Sir Zircon gravitated towards Applejack and Flathoof a bit, and Fluttershy was there too since that's were Gray was; Rarity and Zyra were attached to Blackburn and Lockwood and their family, which was pretty typical these days; Sunspire and Serendipity were with Green Guard, an odd trio indeed since the latter two seemed awfully competitive about Sunspire's attention; Rainbow and Pinkie pretty much stuck together as always; and naturally, Twilight stuck with Winter, Hourglass, and Gilderoy.

"Well, here we go again," Twilight said as she took a seat next to Winter on board the Whale. "Back into the Belt, only this time we're in a flying ship, not a submersible. Is it any safer, or is it less so?"

"To be honest it's not much different," Winter said with a grin. "But it is a lot faster. We'll be on the other side of the ocean in a few hours. Assumin' this fatass ship can fly at a decent speed. Damn thing looks like a blubbery whale, so the name fits."

"After all we've been putting up with this past month, I could use the fresh air of the south for a little while," said Hourglass, looking up at the ceiling with a relieved smile on her face. "Should be lovely, too, since it's almost the end of summer down there. The leaves should just be changing colors for autumn, and the sun's gonna be nice and warm."

"So the seasons really are different in the southern and northern hemispheres in this world too, huh?" Twilight asked; she'd been told to pack for warm weather and cold weather, and wanted to know why. Hourglass gave her a nod. "Good, that's one less thing to have to worry about when we deal with the relocation. Technically speaking, of course."

Winter sighed and nodded. "Yeah, and every little thing helps if we're gonna make it all run smoothly. HQ should be gettin' back to me with the details over the next couple of weeks, hopefully before we head back north so that I can start sendin' word around to all the noble houses. They'll want to know where they're endin' up."

Twilight tilted her head towards Gilderoy. "Are you looking forward to seeing the south too, Lorekeeper? This is your first time actually being there yourself, right?'

Gilderoy nodded. "Hmm hmm, yes, it is. My people abandoned the old Elysian Islands long before I was born, and I never visited before our empire fell. I doubt that my ancestral home is in as good of shape as it was when they left, but we shall see. Though that is not a priority, of course. I dare not stall our journey to make the trip there, not until later."

"If it makes ya feel better, they're still floatin'," Winter noted with a nod.

"That does make me feel better, actually. It implies that at the very least some of the rudimentary technomagic systems are still functioning as they should be even after all these centuries. Gryphon ingenuity at its finest, if I might be allowed to brag a little," he added with a smile.

"However," he continued, "I am more intrigued with meeting these strange 'cousins' of ours, these 'hippogriffs' as you call them. They were not present in the south in my time and you say they have never been seen until recently. From my perspective, they are an utterly alien race. Creatures don't just… 'pop up' wholecloth out of nowhere, you understand."

Winter shook her head. "Ehhh… it's complicated. Their story is that they've been living in the Astral Mountains west of Zeb'ra'den for generations, and only just recently decided to reveal themselves to the world at large, but I know that answer doesn't satisfy you."

"Not at all, no. I suppose that you know something that others do not in regards to that whole situation?"

"Yeah, you could say that, but I can't give specifics—" A pause then a chuckle. "Ah, fuck it, I forgot I can drop protocol because of all the shit that's goin' on." She ran a hoof over her face, then nodded. "Short version: they didn't actually exist at all until Twilight and her friends showed up, and the world integrated them into it because it liked the idea."

Twilight and Gilderoy just stared at Winter, because honestly what she'd just said made literally no sense. "I don't have any idea what that means," Twilight said. "You're saying your world has hippogriffs now because of me and my friends? That the world… 'decided' to add them in?"

"That's the gist. The same concept is how we're gonna move folks from this world to yours. So, uh, long version: let's use a medical metaphor, eh? When you entered this world, you were a foreign intruder, like a… well, a virus if you'll excuse the negative connotations. If ya think of the world as a living creature, its 'immune system' kicked in and developed antibodies."

"You mean the hippogriffs are hostile?"

Winter shook her head. "Ahh, no. I mean that the world developed them in response to you because it thought the 'familiar' would prevent you from being hostile to it. I suspect that the seaponies are a similar deal, since until we met your friend down there, nopony had ever seen them before. Possible, sure, but probable? Not bloody likely."

Twilight blinked. "So you're saying that the world itself reacted to our presence? Like it could feel us? How is that possible?"

"Genius loci," Gilderoy muttered, stroking his beard. "It was a theory presented by one of the old Lorekeepers of the Elysian Islands, Giorgio. The concept was that the world itself was as much of a living thing as you or I are, and that it could feel and sense things as much as we can. And, like any living organism, it could make decisions and defend itself from harm when possible."

Winter tilted her head. "That's actually pretty much exactly how it works, to a point. Not so much 'defend itself' though, 'cause if it could, we wouldn't be stuck in this shit mess."

"Well, if you consider the Void's destructive power to be akin to a wound, then I would say that it still applies in that sense. The Void creates an injury, and you Chronomancers stitch the wound together. Nihila, as we've come to understand her, is a cancer; she is killing the world from the inside, where a bandage or stitches cannot help."

"Which makes what we're trying to do like making the world take its medicine," Twilight concluded. "We're the 'cure' to the Nihila 'sickness'. Or perhaps we're the doctors applying the treatment. Either way, we're fixing the problem." She smiled and nodded firmly, more to herself than anyone else. "I like it. It's poetic."

Winter chuckled and patted Twilight's side. "Well, then I'm glad you showed up in our world in the first place, Doctor Twilight, 'cause you're likely gonna be instrumental in fixin' this whole mess." A pause. "Say, if you're the doctor, what does that make me, anyway? The nurse? Nurses apply bandages."

"Heh heh, maybe. You can be my nurse anytime."

Twilight paused, considering her words briefly, then gulped and turned away from Winter, her face feeling hot; she desperately hoped that Winter wouldn't misinterpret Twilight's words, if only because Twilight herself wasn't sure what she'd actually meant. What Twilight did know, though, was that she desperately wanted the Whale to land so that she could find something new to distract herself with.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Rehearsal

The Whale of the Skies landed in Newhaven in the early evening, roughly around when most ponies would be eating dinner. Though it had taken a few hours to get here, the nature of time zones meant that they'd actually arrived not too long after they'd left. Because it was still summer here in the south, the sun was still up, just barely hitting the horizon and giving the sky a beautiful, vibrant orange glow far different from the ominous orange of the north.

True enough to what she'd been hearing so far, apart from the technological marvels that made up the airport, Newhaven and the south in general reminded Twilight of home. The grass was green, and there actually was grass; the sky was visible, with not just the sun and clouds but the barest hint of stars just starting to emerge; there were beautiful blue waters down in the ocean below by a white, sandy beach; and oh, the smells. Twilight felt assured that the southern ponies would fit right at home in her Equestria when this was all said and done.

After the airship docked and everypony disembarked with their luggage and made their way out of the airport—the northern natives who had never been here looked like they'd just walked into some alien world—plans started getting made and put underway almost immediately. Staff from the House Sky estate had arrived and were already attending to everypony, collecting luggage and setting them into carriages and chariots for the group to take wherever they might want to go.

Lord Skycatcher addressed the collective first. "Welcome, everypony, ta Newhaven," he said with a proud flourish of his hooves. "My pride 'n' joy. My home. As the Lord o' Newhaven an' head o' House Sky, I offer to y'all my hospitality, so make yerselves at home. If'n ya need somepony ta show y'all 'round, I can assign stewards to ya, but feel free ta explore.

"There's gonna be a small banquet at my estate, an' e'rypony here is invited ta join o' course, but just a fair warnin', this here's a proper lords 'n' ladies-type banquet and there's gonna be a lotta politics gettin talked about, so if that ain't yer speed, by all means, check out what the town's got ta offer."

It came as little surprise to Twilight that the other southern delegates were going to the banquet—except Sir Zircon, oddly—nor that Blackburn and her family would be attending, same with Gray Skies and Rosewater, though not the rest of her family who had other plans. What actually surprised Twilight was that Rarity wanted to go along as well.

"Why would you find it surprising, dear?" Rarity replied when Twilight voiced her confusion; Zyra, meanwhile, helped her onto one of the carriages, looking less and less like a simple friend every day and more like a personal butler. "If anypony should want to attend a fancy banquet dinner at the personal estate of a noble lord, it's me."

"I mean, when you put it that way…" Twilight muttered, rubbing her chin in thought. "It just seemed so… automatic. Your acceptance of the offer, I mean. You looked like you were ready to attend even before you were invited."

Rarity laughed and dismissed the thought with her hoof. "Oh, Twilight dear, as if there were ever a doubt that Lord Skycatcher would be so hospitable. My friend Zyra has told me all about these southerners and their customs. For him not to invite all of us would be seen as rude. Though I imagine that he'd have invited us all anyway, as he seems a classy fellow."

"Aha… yeah, alright, I guess that makes sense. Well, have a good time, Rarity. I hope you don't get bored by all the political talk," Twilight chuckled. "I know I find politics boring sometimes myself. Not exactly the best quality for the Princess of Equestria to have, but then Celestia always had the same issue."

"Indeed. And you have fun with whatever it is you're planning too, darling."

As the carriages left for the lord's estate, those remaining started discussing their own plans, though Twilight noticed that some of them had already left to go off and get started; they'd apparently already discussed their plans on the Whale to save time.

Flathoof, Rosewater, Crossfire, and Pattycake went off into town, taking Applejack along with them, and Sir Zircon followed along. Again, odd that he wasn't attending the banquet, but then Twilight figured he and Flathoof were working together to train Applejack, so maybe they were planning on getting some training in? This seemed like a good place for it, as there was actually healthy earth around for Applejack to practice her powers effectively.

Lorekeeper Gilderoy had practically vanished as soon as the congregation left the port, and Twilight knew it was so that he could head off to a particular spot in town that Hourglass, who went with him, said was the best spot to see the Elysian Islands from. The three youngsters—Sunspire, Serendipity, and Green Guard—went after them once they'd realized the old bird had gone missing, after asking permission of course.

Which left Twilight here with Winter, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Pinkie.

"So, what're we gonna do about some grub?" Rainbow asked, rubbing her stomach. "I'm starvin'. Yo, Winter, you know this place, right? Any good spots to eat?"

"Oh yeah, plenty of places if you're lookin' to get your grub on," Winter said with a nod. "I'm interested in tryin' out this one place near the center of town, Legume's Legumes. Family-owned joint, specializes in legume-based foods, eh?"

"The heck's a 'legume'?"

"Beans and peas, Rainbow," Twilight clarified with a smile. "Though that's kind of an oversimplification. Legumes include alfalfa, clover, beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soybeans, peanuts, and even tamarind. I imagine they're only serving the edible stuff."

Rainbow blinked. "Geez, Twi, I always knew you were like a walking encyclopedia but that was pretty dang specific." She shook her head and turned back towards Winter. "So you want us to head to this bean restaurant? Is it any good?"

"I think Crossfire's mentioned it once or twice over the years," Winter replied. "He says it's the best place to eat in town, no question. Seein' as this is his hometown, I'd imagine he knows a thing or two about it."

"Alright, sounds good to me," Rainbow said.

"Me too!" Pinkie agreed, bouncing up and giving her hooves a wiggle. "And remember, kids, beans aren't just tasty, they're healthy too! There's even a song about it! I learned it when I was just a little twinkie Pinkie. Very educational. Mmhhm."

"Ooh, an educational song? How does it go?" Twilight asked, genuinely curious.

Pinkie cleared her throat and took a breath. "Ahem.

♫Beans, beans, the musical fruit

The more you eat, the more you toot

The more you toot, the better you feel.

So let's have beans with every meal!♫"

Rainbow snickered into her hoof, as did Winter. Fluttershy was too, though she was trying to hide it behind her wing. Pinkie just seemed to be waiting for Twilight's response, which at the moment was just to blink and stare at her pink friend in mild disbelief.

Twilight turned to Winter. "So, a restaurant that serves legumes exclusively, you say?"

"Yup," Winter responded after regaining her composure. "I've only ever been once before, years ago. I remember likin' the lentil soup, I think."

"Um… is there any way we could get our food to go?" Fluttershy tepidly asked, scuffing her hoof in the dirt.

"Yeah, they offer that. Why?"

"Well, I was hoping… I mean, since we're here in the south and all, and there are animals around, I was hoping to have a chance to see them and interact with some, if I could. But I also want to spend time with all of you, so… I was thinking maybe we could have a picnic?"

Twilight gave Fluttershy a bright smile. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Fluttershy. A little picnic in the park, like we used to do back in Ponyville. Oh, it's been years since I've been able to sit down for a nice picnic with friends, you have no idea."

"Yeah, a picnic sounds good, actually," Rainbow agreed.

"Pic-nic! Pic-nic! Pic-nic!" Pinkie cheered, pumping her hooves in the air. "It's a really funny word, when you think about it."

Now that they had all agreed on Fluttershy's picnic idea, the group headed to the restaurant and placed all of their orders to go, which was easy enough to do since he staff there was really friendly. They even gave them a disposable picnic basket and tablecloth. And yes, they did all indeed have accents that resembled Applejack's, a point that had been made many, many times. Twilight could understand why everypony commented on it; it was inescapable.

As Winter said, the establishment served exclusively legume-based dishes as well as hometown favorites for beverages. Twilight went with Winter's recommendation and ordered the lentil soup and a strawberry lemonade to drink. Winter ordered the same, though she requested that her lemonade be spiked. Twilight didn't pay much attention to what the others were ordering, though she did hear Pinkie start singing that song again… and getting a laugh out of the cashier.

The group then found a nice, quiet spot outside in a nearby park, though Twilight hesitated to call it a park since the entire town looked green like this. It just happened to be a wide open area with no houses or businesses near enough to bother anypony. The sun was setting completely by the time they'd set things up, and the cool summer night breeze was just… perfect.

As the group sat and ate and chatted, Fluttershy looked about for animals, as she'd said she wanted to. She didn't need to work hard at it, either, as with this much food present, the picnic attracted the attention of critters that were up at this hour, or at least a specific critter: a raccoon. And, true to form, Fluttershy wasted no time whatsoever in trying to make friends with the fuzzy creature.

"Hello, little friend," the pegasus cooed as she slowly approached, offering a piece of her bread roll to it. "I won't hurt you, I promise. My name's Fluttershy. I'm a friendly pony. Do you want something to eat?"

The raccoon lifted itself up to sniff the bread, then grabbed the morsel in its little paws and started eating right then and there without hesitation.

Twilight was surprised at how little time that had taken. Not that she doubted that Fluttershy could do it, of course, but Twilight just figured that since this was a wild animal that probably didn't interact much with ponies, Fluttershy might have needed some time to convince it that she wasn't a threat. Instead, it happened almost immediately, as if the raccoon was inherently trusting of Fluttershy and had known her its whole life.

Same with a few field mice that approached. And a possum. And an owl, who incidentally completely ignored the mice while it perched itself right on Fluttershy's head. Fluttershy looked right at home like this, actually: surrounded by animals that were utterly calm around her. No, friendly around her. If there had happened to be a cottage built into a tree somewhere nearby, Twilight would swear that they were all back at home.

And there was just this pleasant smile on Fluttershy's face, a look of utter contentment and satisfaction, of bliss; Twilight hadn't seen Fluttershy this happy in quite a long time. It was nice.

*****

Hourglass knew just where the best spot in all of Newhaven was to see the famous Elysian Islands, and as promised, she led Gilderoy straight there as soon as they'd all left the Newhaven airport. It was a long walk, and if she had asked Gilderoy to do this about a month or so ago she'd have felt awfully guilty, but the old bird was able to move and function just fine these days. Gadget really was a technomagic wizard, it seemed.

There was a hill on the northwest side of town that overlooked the ocean, but was high enough that none of the hills and trees got in the way of anyone sightseeing. She could point out the islands easily enough to the Lorekeeper, which from here were little more than some rather small dots, but unless one walked for another two hours through the western forest this was the best he was going to get.

The islands weren't in the ocean, mind you, but in the sky, a mile or so above the ocean surface as far as Hourglass could tell—she'd never been—and still several miles away from here. Luckily the sun had only just started setting, so they were still visible in the blueish-orange glow of twilight; once the sun was over the horizon, the islands would be impossible to see again until morning.

But this was good enough for Gilderoy, who Hourglass had almost forgotten had a telescopic lens in his mechanical eye. "Ahh, my ancestral home," he sighed, a light smile on his beak. "Even from so far away this is still the closest that I have ever been to the Elysian Islands in all my life. As nonsensical as it sounds, I can feel them calling to me, calling me back home as though it's were I belong."

"That doesn't sound nonsensical at all," Hourglass said, stepping alongside him. "I wish we had time to go visit it now. I've always wondered what the place was like up-close."

"Alas, we must wait until our return visit when we can take the time to make such plans." Gilderoy stroked his beard gently in contemplation. "I wonder how many of the islands' systems still work. Obviously the suspension engines are fully operational even after all this time, but there are other things that might be useful to our cause if they still function."

"Really? Like what?"

He chuckled. "Oh, if only I knew the specifics. I was not privy to all of the information and technomagic inventions stored there, but my people were known to have quite an inventive streak. One of the classified projects might have some purpose that could be of benefit to us. Who knows?"

Hourglass heard hoofsteps behind her, and looked to see that Sunspire had followed along, and that he had brought his friends Serendipity and Green Guard along with him. The latter two looked like they were almost jockeying for the position closest to Sunspire without him noticing, which was… quite strange indeed. Having never had many friends herself, at least many that she could clearly remember, she wasn't sure what to make of their behavior.

"Oh, hey Sunsy," Hourglass greeted with a grin. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, we just came along because we wanted to see where you two were going," Sunspire replied with a grin of his own. "I overheard you talking about the Elysian Islands? Were you two planning on a trip?"

"Oh, no, we weren't. Not yet, anyway. It's too late in the day to go now, and we leave early in the morning for Utopia. There's just no time."

"Regrettable though that might be, just seeing the islands from here swells my heart with joy," Gilderoy said.

"I read about it a lot back home," Sunspire said with a nod. "There's not a lot of information on the place, however, at least not that I could find. The southern ponies either aren't all that interested, or they're just not putting down the information into written form so that it can be transcribed into a datapad."

"Sunspire's the smartest colt in the class," Serendipity said, grinning and putting her hoof on Sunspire's shoulder. "He knows more than anypony else about anything because of how much he reads. Except maybe Miss Dawn, of course, but she's an adult."

Hourglass kept herself from countering that example with Twilight Sparkle, who not only seemed as smart or not smarter than Golden Dawn, but was far less pompous about it.

Green grunted and set his hoof on Sunspire's other shoulder. "And he's so smart that even he knows that going to the islands in person would let him learn a lot more than any book. Don't you, Sunspire?"

Sunspire blinked, looking between the two, then nodded. "I mean, yes, of course empirical evidence would serve as a better instructional tool, but reading does help with qualifying the evidence you discover in many cases. So… you're both right?"

The younger filly and the tall colt just glared at one another with Sunspire locked in the middle, apparently either not noticing what they were doing, or perhaps just not caring. Or worse, not understanding. Because Hourglass sure didn't understand what was going on, and she hoped that Sunspire was smarter than she was; he was very smart for a colt his age, after all.

"Well, you guys know another thing that's just as good as reading and seeing for yourself?" Hourglass asked, hoping to get the attention of all three younger ponies. It seemed to work, because they all looked her way so that she could gesture to Gilderoy. "Hearing about it from an expert."

Gilderoy smirked and tilted his head. "Hmm hmm hmm, yes, an academic lecture does often serve as an excellent means of obtaining new information. I don't know if I would call myself an 'expert' on the islands, but I certainly would know more than any books the ponies might have written about them."

Sunspire hustled over and sat in front of the Lorekeeper, wide-eyed wonder all over his face. "I'd love to hear what you know about the islands, Lorekeeper. You're not only a gryphon, but you're more intelligent and well-read than me or anyone else I know, even Miss Dawn! Nobody could possibly know more than you."

Serendipity sat right next to Sunspire. "Me too! I wanna hear! These islands sound interesting."

"Me three!" said Green as he sat on Sunspire's other side.

Hourglass chuckled, shook her head, and sat down as well, just as Gilderoy was clearing his throat and getting ready to start his "lecture". She was actually kind of glad that Sunspire had shown up to give her an excuse to ask Gilderoy to tell her some stories about the mysterious islands, not just because she wanted to know, but because she liked having Sunspire around. He was the little brother she'd never had and never knew she wanted.

*****

Applejack followed Flathoof along with the rest of the little group that they'd collected, which were all, for all intents and purposes, part of the same family.

There was Flathoof, of course, and then there was Pattycake, his younger sister, who still looked just like Applejack in every way except her body shape; where Applejack was nothing but raw muscle, Pattycake was just a little pudgy, and a little shorter as well. Pattycake had brought her husband Crossfire along as well since he was off-duty as Lockwood's bodyguard for the night.

Applejack naturally wasn't related to the family by blood or by marriage, nor was she related by adoption as Lockwood was, at least not officially. Flathoof's parents, Shortcake and Stouthoof, who reminded Applejack of her own mother and father respectively, pretty much treated Applejack like a daughter; she was an honorary family member as far as anypony was concerned, and that was that.

This left Zircon as the odd pony—rather, the odd zebra out, as he wasn't related to anypony in any way apart from being a friend. He wasn't attending the banquet at the lord's estate with all the other delegates, which was an odd thing considering why he'd originally come to the summit.

"My presence hath no purpose at the banquet dinner," he'd said when Applejack had asked why he wasn't going. "Ambassador Zultan hath grown more comfortable around ponies as of late and he hath the desire to practice without mine assistance. 'Tis obvious that he hath a new 'mentor' in Lady Silverluck."

"Well shucks, you're more than welcome ta come along with us if that's what ya want," Applejack had replied with a smile. "T'ain't right ta let ya wander 'round when ya got friends ta hang out with."

"Ah, then I must offer thanks to thee for this invitation, Applejack. Thou hath done me an honor." He'd then nodded politely to the others. "And to all of thee as well, if thou art unperturbed by my intrusion."

"It's no trouble at all," Flathoof replied. "Just as long as you don't mind meeting more of my admittedly large family."

"Nay, 'tis no bother to me, Captain. In Zeb'ra'den, the possession of a large family is a desirable trait amongst the common folk, and the nobility doth keep detailed records of extended clans over generations. Knowing who is who when arranging marriages is of utmost importance; 'tis how things are done."

"A large family sure does sound nice," Pattycake said, looking squarely at her husband, who looked a little nervous all of a sudden. "You got any brothers or sisters yourself, Sir Zircon?"

"Aye, two sisters: an elder, Lady Zora, and a younger, Lady Zestra. As firstborn, Zora had her pick of a mate and she didst choose a minor lord, Zarbon, whose family hath served our kingdom's military for many years. Zestra hath only recently become old enough to be courted, and I wouldst not be surprised if Zora hath already begun making arrangements."

Flathoof tilted his head. "Wait, if your family is nobility, doesn't that make you a lord?"

"Aye, I was born Lord Zircon, but when I became a Knight of the Order I didst giveth up my titles and claims." Zircon thumped his chest once with his hoof. "'Tis my calling to serve the Order and defend our kingdom from any who might threaten it. Only shouldst I ever be promoted to Lord Commander wouldst I regain any noble standing."

"The Order o' the Black Flame's been well-respected even in pony lands fer generations," Crossfire noted with a nod. "Ta be a part o' that, well, it sure must be an honor."

"Though my sister Zora doth not see it that way at times," Zircon chuckled. "Oh, she didst not appreciate my decision. Our family is related to His Majesty—he is our father's eldest brother—and she hath it in her mind that we shouldst all be prepared to taketh the throne should the worst happen."

Crossfire blinked. "Wait, yer daddy's the king's brother?"

"Youngest brother, aye, which hath no meaningful bearing on anything."

"But don't that put you in line fer the throne, technically?"

"Aye but hs Majesty already hath sired heirs, and even if he didst not, my father wouldst still only be fifth in line behind three more brothers and a sister, and Zora wouldst come before me. 'Tis a… what is the northern expression, 'dream of pipes'?"

"Close enough," Flathoof chuckled. "I'm happy I won't ever have to worry about anything like that. Queen Blackburn is much too cautious to let the succession be that easy to mess up. Heh. King Flathoof. Sounds stupid."

"You said it, sugarcube," Applejack said with a wide grin.

The group arrived at a large house on the south side of town, and Flathoof gave the door a little knock. The door was in turn answered by an older mare, who like everypony else in the town wasn't wearing any actual clothes, just a pair of glasses in her case. Applejack found it excessively odd that these southern ponies walked around nude—normal, as far as she was concerned—but nopony here from the north seemed to be bothered by it. What was with that?

"Can I help you?" the old mare asked, her voice quiet and sweet.

Flathoof nodded. "I hope so, ma'am. We're looking for Shorthoof? We're his family. He should be expecting us."

"Mmhhm, I'll let him know you're here. Just a moment." She then turned and shouted back into the house like a bullhorn: "Shorthoof! Yer family's here! C'mon, no lollygaggin'!" She then turned back to the group and said, her voice soft and quiet again: "He'll be right down."

The group only waited a few moments before Shorthoof did indeed come right down from the stairs at the back of the room, accompanied by a teenage unicorn filly.

Shorthoof himself had grown up quite a bit into a strapping young teenage colt, definitely the same age as Apple Bloom was, and Applejack used that comparison in particular because he and Bloom could've been twins; their coats, manes, and eyes were identical in color. Shorthoof was just ironically tall, given his name.

What made Applejack do a double-take though was the unicorn filly, who looked to be about the same age as Shorthoof. Though there were some slight differences—her colors were slightly darker—this teenage filly could have very well been Flurry Heart all grown up, only without the wings. If Flurry grew up to look anything like this filly, Shining Armor was going to have to put one of his famous shields around her to keep the colts away.

"Big bro!" Shorthoof exclaimed, clearing the remaining distance between the stairs and the door in less than a second. "Glad you could make it! When you sent word you were comin' I wasn't expectin' you to get here so soon."

Applejack could hear just the slight twang of the Newhaven accent in his voice, but not as strongly as, say, Crossfire's. Or hers.

"Plans changed and we got moving a lot quicker than we thought we would," Flathoof said with a smile, grabbing his brother and throwing his hoof around the teen's shoulder. "Shoot, did you have another growth spurt? I only just saw you in the spring and you weren't this tall."

"You say that every year, Flathoof. It's getting old."

"Oh ho ho, am I annoying you?" Flathoof nudged Pattycake slightly. "Listen to him, Pattycake. He's talking just like a regular teenager now. Next thing you know he's gonna get all broody and lock himself in his room to listen to music about not fitting in."

"Thank goodness Mom and Dad aren't here," Pattycake chuckled. "They'd have a field day with you, squirt."

"Hey sis, glad to see you too. And you too, Crossfire," Shorthoof said with a nod to the tall stallion.

"Mmhmm," Crossfire said with a nod in return. "Good ta see ya."

Shorthoof then broke out of his brother's half-hug as the teen filly came over, who Shorthoof then immediately half-hugged and gave a big smile to. "So, uh, since you guys are here, I wanted to introduce you to my fillyfriend, Crystal Heart."

The filly gave a smile and wave. "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you." She, too, had only a slight Newhaven twang, stronger than Shorthoof's but still nowhere near Crossfire's. Or Applejack's.

Pattycake gasped loudly. "Holy moley, little bro, this is your fillyfriend? Oh my stars, girl, you are gorgeous."

Crystal blushed and looked at the floor. "Um, thank you."

"No really, you're really pretty. Why in the heck are you dating my brother? Did he bribe you? Is it blackmail?"

"Patty!" Shorthoof hissed through clenched teeth. "What the hay?!"

"I mean, really, you're easily like a nine or ten, but Shorty here could barely qualify as a four."

"Patty!"

"And I know it's not because of his money or anything, and definitely not because of his sense of humor. Shorty's not rich and his jokes are lousy." Pattycake gasped again, her grin turning mischievous. "Ohhh, or is it because he's, ahem, not as short as his name suggests?"

Shorthoof, race redder than his big brother's coat, snapped and put his hooves over his sister's mouth. "Patty! Sheesh!"

Crossfire managed to interject before his wife embarrassed Shorthoof to death, pulling Patty over to him in a half-hug. "Say, did you say yer name's 'Crystal Heart'?" he asked, looking at the red-faced filly. "Ain't that the name o' Shining Steel's lil' filly?"

Crystal nodded. "Oh, um, yeah, Shining Steel's my dad. Do you know… oh! I know you! You're… Crossfire, aren't you? We met once when I was a little filly, a long, long time ago. Oh, and I was a flower filly at the royal weddin', remember?"

"Yessir, that's me, an' yeah, I 'member meetin' ya all them years ago. Shoot, you was just a lil' thing back then." He looked at Shorthoof and grinned wide, like his wife. "Speakin' o' the weddin', I seem ta recollect that Shorthoof here was the ring bearer."

Shorthoof nodded. "That's right. That was where we first met. It was kind of a surprise to come down here a few years later and meet her again."

Pattycake giggled. "Awww, isn't that a romantic little story?" She leaned into Crossfire and sighed. "That's when I think I got my hubby here to finally notice me. Isn't that right?"

"Sure as shootin'." Crossfire smiled and turned back to Crystal. "Weren't expectin' ta see ya while we was here, Crystal. Her Majesty's in a hurry wit' this here trip we're all on so she wasn't plannin' on a visit wit' yer daddy 'til we came back through before headin' home. So, uh, sorry 'bout that."

"Yeah, we heard you guys were just passin' through," Crystal replied, tilting her head, "but Dad doesn't quite get what all the fuss is about. Her Majesty doesn't usually make such, um… bombastic visits. Everypony in town knows she's here with some other lords and ladies of the south. It's the most action that's been around here in years."

"An' 'taint my place ta tell ya what's goin' on, neither. But you'll all find out in due time, yessir, that I can promise."

"Say, big bro," Shorthoof said, getting Flathoof's attention. "You said in your letter that you had a surprise for me?"

"Eyyup, that's right," Flathoof chuckled. He then stepped aside and gestured for Pattycake and Crossfire to do the same, as they'd strategically placed themselves such that Shorthoof wouldn't see past them. "Ta da!"

Shorthoof's eyes widened when he saw Applejack, and he rushed forward to greet her with a big smile and sparkles in his eyes. "Applejack! Holy moley, I haven't seen you in… forever!" He paused, then moved in and gave her a big, big hug; he was quite nearly her height, so this surprised her. "It's so good to see you again. I missed you."

Applejack tenderly returned the hug, and heck if it didn't feel just like hugging her sister back home. "Aww, shucks, sugarcube, you're gonna make me cry talkin' like that. It's real good ta see you too."

"Where the heck have you been all these years? I thought for sure when I moved down here that I'd see you eventually. I mean, you were from here, from Newhaven. Seemed weird to me not to see you."

"Ahh, well, that's a bit of a complicated lil' situation there. We'll talk about it o'er dinner, yeah? Speakin' o' which, yer new fillyfriend gonna join us?" Applejack nudged Shorthoof in the side gently. "Good catch, by the way," she whispered with a wink. "She's real purdy."

"Th-thanks," Shorthoof said, blushing and scratching his cheek. "And yeah, she was gonna join us. We were just waitin' for you guys to get here before we headed out. Legume's Legumes is the best place in town, but I don't need to tell you that."

Applejack nodded. "Nope, sure don't. Good choice, sugarcube," she said, playing along for the time being.

Crossfire had clued her in a bunch of stuff she should know since she was supposedly from Newhaven, and the way he put it, everypony in the town knew that Legume's Legumes was pretty much the best eatery around. Not that the crowd there would give that away—there was always ample seating—but that's just how it had been for some six or seven generations. And you didn't even need a reservation!

She figured that they'd just missed Twilight's group dropping by, or at the very least Pinkie, since one of the clerks was talking about a funny song about beans that sounded just like something Pinkie would sing to get a laugh. And it was funny.

It was nice getting a chance to catch up with not-so-little-anymore Shorthoof again after all these years. He definitely reminded Applejack a lot of Apple Bloom in a lot of ways, only he'd apparently been a lot more confident in himself than she'd been when they were younger.

Bloom had taken years to finally earn her cutie mark alongside her two best friends, but Shorthoof had figured his special talent out relatively quickly: agriculture; his cutie mark was a sprouting seed. Just seeing the southern continent once six years ago, when his family was only here for maybe an hour on a stopover before their move to Hope's Point, had apparently been enough to realize that he wanted to be involved with plants and greenery.

"As soon as the family finished movin' and I started gettin' back to schoolin', I knew that all of that tech stuff wasn't for me anymore," Shorthoof said while stirring his soup. "So once I was old enough, I asked Mom and Dad to send me down here to Newhaven, to the boardin' school they've got here. That house you picked me up at is the boardin' house; it's where I live."

"You really live here all by yerself?" Applejack asked, her attention more on him than on her alfalfa sprout sandwich.

"No, there're other students in the boardin' house too. Most of them are from the north like me! I've made a couple of friends here and there, but I think most of 'em don't plan on stayin' in Newhaven after they finish schoolin'. There's lots o' fertile farmland out there just waitin' to be claimed, after all."

"How 'bout you, Crystal? You go to school wit' Shorthoof? You don't sound like you're from 'round here originally."

Crystal shook her head and finished sipping her lemonade. "No, we don't go to school together. I'm studyin' at the House Sky estate to learn southern laws and such, 'cause my special talent's in negotiation skills."

Applejack blinked. "Seems, uh… practical. Ya mean ya wanna be like a… a lawyer or somethin'?"

"Somethin' like that, yes, though that's the northern catch-all term for the occupation. Down here there're different names for different types. I'm studyin' to be a barrister, which means I'm the one actually doin' the talkin' in court."

"Huh. Neat. So where are you from originally then?"

"I was born in Hope's Point. My dad, Shining Steel, was King Flashfire's bodyguard until the king passed away. We moved here after that. Dad said it was because the new king wouldn't like us."

"Flashfire was Blackburn's grandfather," Flathoof noted. "And his son, Stormchaser, was the new king." He leaned over and whispered, "What I heard is that Flashfire once ordered Steel to slap the shit outta Stormchaser for mouthing off at him. Steel didn't even hesitate, damn near broke Storm's jaw."

"Yeah, guess that'd be a good reason ta wanna leave when the old king passed," Applejack whispered back, now just a little curious what that situation must've been like. Blackburn's family sounded crazy at times.

The conversation then turned to who Applejack really was and where she was from, though they avoided the topic of this world coming to an end and everyone needing to move. Blackburn would be going over that later with Crystal's father apparently and the adults had all agreed it was probably best not to force the young filly to keep that a secret.

Shorthoof let out a breath and shook his head. "So when you said you weren't from around here, you really meant you weren't from around here, huh?"

"Yup. 'Tweren't no lie, that's fer sure," Applejack chuckled. "I wish I could've told ya 'bout it before, but we was s'posed ta be keepin' it quiet 'n' such, an' that meant even after I left. So if it makes ya feel any better, yer parents 'n' sister 'n' other brother didn't find out until a lil' bit ago when I showed up in Hope's Point."

"It makes me feel a little better, yeah. That's a pretty big secret to have to keep, so I guess I can't be too mad at my brother for not telling me."

Flathoof chuckled. "It wasn't an easy secret to keep by a long shot, especially when you moved down here for boarding school. Mom figured you were only doing it to try and be like Applejack; Dad thought you were doing it to pick up fillies."

Shorthoof's cheeks reddened. "Th-that's not it at all! What the hay is Dad talkin' about? I was twelve!"

"Which is about the age when little colts like you start noticing cute fillies like Crystal here," said Pattycake with a wink, which made Crystal's face redden too.

"Patty!"

"Relax, kiddo," Flathoof said with a wide grin. "We all know you did it because you actually had a crush on Applejack."

Shorthoof was so red that his face could be in the dictionary to describe the color; he was desperately trying to avoid Applejack's eyes. "Flathoof!"

Applejack had to pretend to be surprised; Flathoof had already told her all about that little detail. She was flattered, really.

After dinner was over, Flathoof took Shorthoof back to his boarding house and Crossfire and Pattycake offered to escort Crystal back to her parents' house, leaving Applejack with Zircon for the moment.

She paused a moment, then cleared her throat. "So, uh… now that I think about it, I never really asked ya much 'bout what exactly it is ya do fer a livin'. You're a knight an' all, but what's that mean?"

Zircon smiled. "As a Knight of the Black Flame, 'tis my duty, as it is with all of my comrades, to serve as a shield to the realm, in whatever capacity that might entail.

"Six months out of the year I doth spend abroad in point lands, two of which art in Utopia where I provideth aid to the ambassador. Otherwise I am a traveling representative of my people.

"The rest of year is spent in zebra lands, whereupon I seeketh out the smaller settlements outside of Zeb'ra'den proper and provideth them with whatever services that might so require the presence of a knight."

"Like what?"

"Mayhap their community is plagued by monstrous creatures of the wilds, such as a frostwolf. Mayhap they hath the need of a mediator in a dispute, for we knights art acquainted with zebra law." He shrugged. "'Tis more likely than not that they hath no need of my service."

Applejack scratched her head. "Shucks, and ya do this all year? Ya don't ever take a break or nothin'?"

"Aye, I stay in Zeb'ra'den to celebrate the Winter Solstice with my family, but otherwise I spendeth more time 'on the road', as the ponies say, than elsewhere."

"Huh. Sounds like hard work. I don't travel much 'cept fer special deliveries, but I know what it's like ta be away from home like that. Don't that get lonely?"

"Aye, at times."

"And ya don't, uh, got a special fillyfriend at home waitin' fer ya?"

He tilted his head. "'Fillyfriend'?"

She cleared her throat. What did Granny call it again? "I mean, ya ain't got some zebra mare back home that you're courtin' or whatnot?"

"Ah, no, I do not, much to the consternation of mine elder sister," he replied. "But that is not a topic worth discussing, lest I speak ill of my kin."

"Fair 'nough."

It was late enough now that the sun had finally set and the two moons of this Equestria began rising above the horizon. The sight of it was enough to make Applejack double-take for a moment, then start to wonder how confusing it would get once everyone eventually moved to her world, where there was just the one moon. Thankfully without a mare in it anymore.

Or worse, what if one of these moons decided to come along for the move? Princess Luna would probably have a panic attack trying to figure that out.

"Shucks, if that ain't a sight," she said, glancing up at the stars. It was so strange to see such a different sky than the one she was used to, and it had been hard enough getting used to the orange glow of the north. "Sure are a lotta stars up there. More'n what I'm used ta seein' back home, I tell ya what."

Zircon nodded, walking alongside her as they made their way to the House Sky estate. "If this sight doth impress thee, Applejack, then thou shalt be quite enthralled by the night sky o'er Zeb'ra'den. The moons' light doth shine off of our white snows like a beacon, and thou canst see e'ry star in the sky as clear as 'twere in front of thine eyes."

"Heh, you sure do make it sound purdy, Mister Thou, an' I'm sure it is. Still, even if it were the purdiest sight I'd ever done seen before, it wouldn't hold a candle ta home."

"Aye, 'twould be fair to admit that 'tis a bias I doth possess to boasteth so openly of the wonders of my home. Still, I hath found that e'ry location hath its own beauty, if thou knowest where to look." He gestured out towards the ocean in the distance. "Here in Newhaven, thou canst see the sea. Look upon it and how the moons' light hath been doubled so."

Applejack stepped alongside him at the top of the small hill they were crossing over, which did indeed offer a decent view of the ocean. She'd seen the ocean before, enough times to know that she didn't see what all the fuss was about, but then she'd never gotten to see it looking quite so entrancing. The moons' light did indeed seem doubled, as there were two in the sky, two in the water, and twice as many stars to boot.

She whistled in appreciation. "Yup, that there's quite a sight if there ever was one. I ain't never seen anythin' like it before."

"Neither have I. 'Tis the first time I hath ever walked through Newhaven at night," Zircon said with a smile towards her. "And to think, 'tis only because I didst decide to come with thee that I hath seen such splendor. Thank thee, Applejack, for sharing this sight with me."

"Well shoot, 'tain't no thang," she chuckled, feeling her cheeks get a little hot. "I figure since this is my first time down here in the south I'm gonna see a lotta things fer the first time. But hey, knowing that I get ta share yer first time seein' this witcha, that tickles me pink. 'Tain't often I get ta share that kind o' stuff wit' anyone."

He smirked. "Aye. And 'tis a good feeling to share such a thing with a friend."

She nodded. "Sure is." She then tilted her head back towards the road. "C'mon, ain't no sense in standin' up here gawkin' all night, even if it is purdy. It's gettin' late an' we've got a road ahead of us tomorrow."

"Indeed."

They then continued off towards the estate, though there was a little thought in the back of Applejack's mind that she would've rather stayed here with Zircon just a while longer.

*****

Golden Dawn arrived home at Pandora Tower shortly after what would be considered an appropriate lunchtime for most ponies, mostly because she had spent much of that acceptable lunch period ensuring that she hadn't left anything behind in Hope's Point and that she hadn't forgotten to address anything with Gray and Havoc.

She didn't even unpack immediately after her return, as she would usually have done, instead just setting her suitcase down and making her way down the hall towards her office. She adjusted her glasses and straightened out her dress suit, then gave the door a couple of gentle knocks in a simple rhythm.

"Enter!" called her own voice from the other side.

Dawn opened the door to see herself working at her desk with the typical sort of disdainful expression that Dawn knew she was known to wear when her work was disturbed. Her other self was in a professional dress suit of her own, albeit a different color and with a different trim; Dawn was positive that she owned no such suit, but that was irrelevant as if she liked it she could always have her own made by the tower's tailor, Rosegold Satin.

The other Dawn's expression immediately changed from disdain to surprise. "Sacré bleu! Dawn? Que fais-tu ici?" Dawn had never actively spoken Romantique before, so hearing it come out in her own voice like that was rather amusing. "Ah… what are you doing here? I thought you were going south with the delegation?"

"I decided upon an alternative course of action," Dawn—actual Dawn—said, stepping into the room and sitting across from her other self. "Namely that Ambassador Gray Skies would serve as an admirable representative to the south in my stead. She is more aware of southern customs than I and also possesses a greater camaraderie with many members of the traveling party."

Fake Dawn blinked a few times. "Pardon? Qu'est-ce que vous avez dit? Répète ça."

Real Dawn cleared her throat. "Ahem?"

"Oh. Je suis désolé." Fake Dawn's form dissolved into that of Curaçao; the dress suit didn't change, though, which meant that it was real clothes her sister was wearing, not the shapeshifting suit. "Did you just say that you assigned Gray to go along with the southern delegation? Instead of you?"

Dawn smiled. "Indeed I did. Do you not approve?'

"Non, I approve. Gray is an excellent choice; I wish that I had suggested it. But… why? I thought that you wanted to go south to have an opportunity to speak more with Lady Silverluck?"

"I did, but I am of the opinion that Gray should have that opportunity. She would be a better representative not just of New Pandemonium City, but of our family. She fares substantially better in social interactions than I do. Not to mention that I cannot connect with Father in the south, and thus I lack the only quality that would make me the superior option."

Curaçao tilted her head. "Ah… oui, I suppose so. So then you've come home to relieve me of my duties as your impostor so that I can focus on the Redblade investigation?"

"I would not phrase it in such a way, no… hmm." Dawn paused, then nodded and smiled. "Actually, no, that is exactly how I would phrase it, but I would add an addendum: without your impostor duties, you should also have more time for yourself and your family. I understand that performing your duties as Spymaster and my duties as Shadow Associate must be stressful."

Curaçao's eyes widened and she tilted her head further. "Is this a prank?"

"Hmm?"

Curaçao shouted into the hall. "Velvet, this is all very funny. I did not know that Overseer Pedigree was so talented with robotics as well." She looked Dawn up and down and chuckled. "This decoy is very lifelike. It almost had me fooled."

"Curaçao, I am no animatronic impersonator, I assure you," Dawn replied, hurt that another of her sisters didn't believe that she could change her behavior for the better. Was she really that bad?

"Which is exactly what an animatronic impersonator would say, oui?"

Dawn steepled her hooves and spoke to her sister via their telepathic bond. "I think that this should suffice as proof?"

Curaçao blinked, then nodded. "Oui, that will do. You could not fake that… or if you could, then you're more talented than I give you credit for." She shook her head and chuckled. "So, you're saying that you want to relieve me of my duties so that I can spend some time with my family. I appreciate the thought, sister, merci. Though I must ask, what brings this on?"

"If I might keep it short, I… I hit what I believe is called 'rock bottom'. I realized that my behavior and attitude have been absolutely unacceptable, and that they have potentially irreparably damaged my relationships with friends, family, and with Father." Dawn took a breath and shook her head. "I wish to repair these relationships, starting with my sisters. Insipid is next on my list."

"I see. Hmm. That would explain why you asked Gray to travel south instead of you. She'd appreciate being given that opportunity, oui?" Curaçao leaned back in her seat—Dawn's seat, incidentally—and nodded in understanding. "Is there any way that I can help?"

Dawn shook her head again. "I do not wish for any assistance for now, Curaçao, though I appreciate the offer. I must perform this unenviable task entirely of my own accord, so that I might feel as though it was my own efforts that solved this conundrum."

"Well then, I won't get in your way."

Curaçao rose from her seat and stepped around the table, and Dawn did the same, expecting to return to her proper seat and to start working on this new "project". She did not expect Curaçao to pull her in for a hug; Dawn, in her stunned surprise, did not react in time to return it before Curaçao broke away.

"For the record, Dawn, I do not think that our relationship is 'damaged'," Curaçao said simply. "Though I cannot say the same for your niece and sister-in-law, hmm? When you are free for lunch at some point, I am sure they would enjoy a chance to spend some time with you. Just let me know, oui?"

Dawn blinked and nodded. "Of course. Thank you, Curaçao."

"Ce n'est rien, ma sœur."

As Curaçao left the room, Dawn paused for only a moment to consider her sister's words, then turned to sit at her desk.

Yes, it was true that she would have to improve her relationship with Shroud and Jellybean, but that could wait.

Dawn knew she had to give her problems priority in order of severity, in a sort of reverse triage. Havoc and Gray were most damaged and so she started with them. Just thinking about Havoc again drew Dawn's attention to the scorch mark on her desk. She decided then and there that she was going to keep it for a while longer; it would remind her of what her actions had caused so that she'd never repeat the mistake.

"Insipid," she said into her telepathic connection. "This is Dawn. Are you preoccupied at the moment?"

There was no response.

Dawn took a breath and tried again; she hoped her sister wasn't ignoring her. "Insipid. This is Dawn. Are you—"

"Okay, wow, I guess I wasn't just, like, hearing things. I haven't heard from you in… wow, it's been years, Dawn. Is there something wrong?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. It is not an emergency medical situation, so there is no need to panic."

"Oh. I mean, I wasn't panicking or anything, but hey, thanks for clearing that up! But there is something wrong?"

"Correct. But I do not wish to discuss it via telepathic communication. Would you be available for dinner tonight? I believe that it would be poignant for us to converse face-to-face."

"Dinner? Tonight?"

"Correct."

"Oooh… that's a rough one, sis. I can't. I've got a little fashion show tonight. I'm actually, like, on my way to the venue right now and junk?"

Dawn felt her heart sink; after being repeatedly refused by others in recent days, she had come to realize that they didn't decline to spend time with her because they were otherwise preoccupied, but because they didn't want to spend time with her at all, period. Havoc and Gray had been upfront about it at least, hence why she'd had to deceive them to meet up, but she didn't think she'd need to do that with Insipid. Was it really that bad?

"I… I see. Very well. I suppose another time…"

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes. Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about. I will… simply attempt this at another time. My apologies."

"It doesn't sound fine, sis." A pause. "Tell ya what: why don't I work some magic and, like, get you an invite to the show? I'm sure they can totally squeeze a seat in for you somewhere. Cha. Then afterwards we can head out and get some late dinner together. How does that sound?"

Dawn's heart soared; it may as well have had wings. "Yes! I… I mean, yes, of course, that sounds acceptable. Which venue shall I depart for?"

"Tonight's show is at the Illusive Plaza, this really nice, cozy little showcase amphitheatre in the Arcadia District." A pause. "Oh! Dress fancy. The show starts in an hour, so you should be able to, like, get Rosiegoldie to whip something up for you. Talk to the doorpony when you get here and tell him that you're on the list."

"Very well, I will heed your advice on the matter. See you there."

"Yeah! Oooh, you're gonna have a great time!"

Dawn then dropped the call and leaned back into her seat, letting the relief wash over her for a few moments.

That had gone better than she'd expected, especially after the disheartening little hiccup in the middle there. Now all she had to do was dress "fancy", which despite Insipid's chosen, commonplace vernacular, Dawn interpreted as something entirely different from her usual professional dress suits. The last time she'd ever dressed "fancy" was at the royal wedding six years ago.

At any rate, Rosegold Satin would know what to do; there was no better tailor in all of Equestria—and yes, Dawn knew that Rarity wasn't a tailor, so nopony would take offense at the comparison.

*****

As Dawn teleported herself to a discreet location near the Illusive Plaza amphitheatre, she couldn't help but wonder if Rosegold Satin knew just what she'd managed to do. Dawn hadn't worn a cocktail dress once in her entire life—let alone a little black one—but now here she was, walking the remaining distances to her destination in an outfit that she felt dreadfully exposed in. She knew that mares actually wore these things, but how?

There was a stallion at the door, as Insipid said there would be, keeping ponies out who were trying to get in. Almost all of them were carrying cameras and trying to get a look through the doors for some reason; Dawn wracked her brain to think of what these ponies called their profession. Paparazzi? Not a Common Equish term, no. It sounded more Baroque in origin, a loan word like pretty much every classical musical term was.

She approached the doorpony, who immediately turned to her and held up a hoof to stop her from going in; the paparazzi were, to Dawn's consternation, snapping loud, flashy pictures of her for some reason. They couldn't know who she was, so they were probably just hoping she'd give them attention or something.

"Hold on there, Miss," the doorpony said. "This is a private event. Unless you've got a press badge or—"

"I am… 'on the list', I was told to say?" Dawn repeated.

"Mmhmm. Name?"

"Golden Dawn."

The doorpony pressed his hoof to his ear—a communication device was hooked in there, obviously, and well hidden. "Yo, Jam, is there a 'Golden Dawn' on the invite list?"

Dawn didn't hear the other side's response, which meant the device was of good quality, too.

The doorpony nodded, then turned his attention back to Dawn as he opened the door. "Go on in, Miss Dawn. An usher will meet you inside."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

As said, an usher almost immediately greeted her and metaphorically scooped her up and ushered her along into an empty seat in the second row of the showroom floor, so fast in fact that Dawn hadn't even registered what route they'd taken to get here from the door. Whoever that usher was, he'd certainly lived up to his position's name. Dawn was impressed; she didn't even see what he'd looked like.

The room was indeed quite cozy—quiet too—with only enough seats for about fifty ponies to sit around a fashion runway, all of which were occupied now that Dawn was here. She couldn't help but wonder if somepony had been kicked out of this seat to make room for her, or if the seating arrangements had been adjusted to add an extra seat. Either way, it was impressive. Insipid had made this work?

All of the ponies present were dressed "fancy", as Insipid had insisted, with the stallions in appropriate dress suits and tuxedos, and the mares in fine dresses. Nothing was too fancy, though; Dawn deduced that it would be tacky to draw attention away from the stage.

Dawn had apparently arrived just in time—Rosegold had certainly taken her time to assemble the dress—as less than thirty seconds after Dawn took her seat, the room's lighting changed to indicate that the show was starting.

Dawn had never been to a fashion show before, so she didn't know exactly what to expect, but it certainly wasn't as much of a hullabaloo as she'd thought it would be. More of a rumpus, really, or a hurly-burly if she was being generous.

Since Dawn was really just here for Insipid's sake, she didn't pay too much attention to the goings-on, just enough to understand what was happening. A slightly older mare in a simple polka dot dress came out on stage and, without a lot of flourish at all, addressed the crowd thusly:

"Welcome everypony," she said into a microphone that Dawn couldn't see. "You folks would not believe how much of a pain it was just to get this venue for tonight. Everypony and their mother is booking slots and spots after that damned sandstorm, huh? It's a madhouse out there! I think we had to kill a guy to get this slot."

A little murmur went through the crowd; Dawn could barely hear some of the words since nopony was murmuring at her, certainly, but the gist she got was one of… approval? Acceptance? Amusement? Dawn considered this for a moment, then realized what the announcer meant:

Because of the sandstorm, every single venue in the city that was available for booking events like, say, a fashion show, would naturally be utterly booked because they couldn't be used at all for three-ish weeks. Everything from tech companies to fashion designers would want to book such venues to show off their new materials, but since they were all doing it at once—and since getting in the door early was important—it was probably, indeed, a madhouse.

"But hey, it's a cutthroat business and you've gotta do what you've gotta do when everypony's trying to get their new Spring Collections out," the announcer mare continued. "Thank you all for coming today to view the Spring Collection for Lovers' Lane. I hope everypony's comfortable, and apologies again for the intimate seating. I hope you like your neighbors and that everypony's wearing deodorant."

As the crowd chuckled, Dawn glanced sideways at her nearest neighbor, a middle-aged stallion in a crisp suit, who glanced her way and gave her a polite nod and a smile, which Dawn returned just to be polite. Whoever he was, at least he wasn't eyeing her the same way that Treasurer Vendetta did; she shuddered to think how that lecherous creep would react if he saw her in this dress.

Once the starting announcements were over, the mare stepped to the side and began reading off the descriptions of the outfits being worn by the models as they came on stage. This part was something that Dawn definitely tuned out; she was never one for fashion whatsoever, and no matter how much she wanted to improve her relationship with Insipid she just couldn't bring herself to care about what material a dress was made out of.

Insipid was the fourth mare on stage tonight, and was wearing a… dress. Dawn couldn't rightly describe much about it, really. It was a dress. It was gray. It had little sparkling things—sequins?—along the edges. It only had one shoulder strap and left most of Insipid's back exposed down to her rear. Speaking of, the dress accentuated Insipid's rear in a way that Dawn felt was potentially inappropriate.

None of that was important, though. What was important was that Dawn hadn't even seen Insipid in probably about five years or so, and as such she didn't know that her sister looked so… pretty. Really, really pretty. Her mane was the same platinum blonde that Dawn remembered, but long and flowing so that it draped around her exposed shoulder. And she looked so confident. Powerful, even; not from a physical or magical standpoint, but from a personality standpoint.

But Insipid was only on stage for less than a minute and then she was gone.

Dawn was disappointed to say the least. According to the schedule she'd seen on her way in—hard as that was with the usher's speed—this showcase would last an hour. She was expected to sit here for an hour to see her sister, but her sister was only on stage for thirty seconds? What sort of chicanery was this?

But then Dawn noticed as the dresses continued, the first model she'd seen was back on stage in a new dress, followed by the second, the third. Then, Insipid again! In a new dress! A red one with frills! And she had a new style to her mane and new makeup and everything!

Once the cycle occurred a third time, Dawn realized what was happening, and that was when she felt that she could actually sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. She was still just here for Insipid's sake and so only really paid any attention to her, but still, it was calming to know that Insipid was not just being given the attention she deserved, but that she was appreciated.

The crowd judged each and every dress and model in utter silence; the only sounds in the room at all were the hoofsteps of the models, the announcer's voice rattling off details about the outfits, and the music being piped in through the room's speakers, a hideous "club" mix that she supposed was part of how these shows were run.

Yet Insipid, and the other models, didn't seem to express any signs of pressure from the judging looks, the scrutinizing glances, the investigative scans of each and every detail. In fact they seemed emboldened by it all, like they liked being on stage having all these ponies looking at them. Dawn couldn't imagine herself doing anything of the sort in even her worst nightmares.

And it was then that Dawn realized that Insipid had grown up. She'd matured into her own mare and accomplished something that Dawn wouldn't dare look down upon now that she understood it. Dawn had never imagined that this was what it meant to be a fashion model: pressure. A different kind of pressure than what she was accustomed to and handled every day, but that was exactly it. It was just different, not inferior.

And maybe that was just the way it had always been. She just hadn't bothered to see it.

*****

Dawn was honestly impressed by Insipid's choice for a dinner locale. This Romantique restaurant was certainly top-of-the-line in every sense of the word, and in Dawn's opinion much fancier than the similar venues she'd seen in Hope's Point. Not necessarily better—the food quality seemed dead even, at least to her palate—but fancier, sure.

That was how Dawn was going to look at the difference between the two cities now, actually. Queen Blackburn herself had made the observation and brought it to Dawn's attention: Hope's Point didn't have the sort of class divide that New Pandemonium did. In Hope's Point, the difference between the rich and poor was not very wide, and the "poor" weren't considered poor at all by New Pandemonium standards, but lower-middle class at worst.

But conversely, and with few exceptions, the rich elite in Hope's Point did not compare to the rich elite in New Pandemonium either. As such, the fanciest things in life here were utterly unobtainable by the wealthy in Hope's Point; this fancy restaurant, for example, used real gold, platinum, and diamonds in its decorations. Whether that was a good thing was open to debate, but Dawn took it as a sign that her city was where the upper class would fit right at home.

She did have to make considerations for when the world merger happened, after all. The way Twilight had once described places like Canterlot and Manehattan just begged for an exodus to her city instead.

Insipid had changed into a cocktail dress of her own, one that was a little more revealing than Dawn's but somehow still classy. Dawn marveled at the way her sister looked, if only because she had an understanding of the typical definitions of beauty and attractiveness; yes, Insipid was beautiful, there was no denying that. Her only flaw was a slight imperfection in her teeth, but that just highlighted everything else.

Her big sister had come a long way from being just a Rarity wannabe with an unfortunate dye job and no sense of hygiene.

"You look great, by the way," Insipid said with a small grin. "I've, like, never seen you wearing a dress like that. I said 'fancy', not 'gorgeous'."

Dawn glanced down at her dress, then back to Insipid. "Your opinion is that I am attractive in this dress?"

"Psh, yeah," Insipid said, rolling her eyes like the answer was obvious. "Sis, you really oughta dress like that more often. I'm serious, you're really pretty when you put your mind to it. Cha. Why, hasn't anypony ever told you that before?"

"I have only ever had one pony ever express the opinion that I am attractive before… and frankly I wish that he had not done so." Dawn shuddered slightly. "It is an unpleasant thought."

"Really? Who was it?"

"Treasurer Vendetta of the Committee. I have made repeated attempts to keep our relationship professional and restrict it to work, but he is determined to inject a sexual component into it, despite my protests. Nothing of the sort has occurred, of course, and never will, but it disgusts me."

"Ohhh," Insipid said, setting down her wine. "Say no more, sis, I understand completely. Too well, actually."

"Hmm? Do you know the Treasurer?"

"Personally, no, but I know ponies like him. They're not all stallions, by the way, but like, that's the majority of them, and those are the ones that I've had encounters with before."

Dawn tilted her head. "I am afraid that I do not understand. Do you mean to tell me that you have encountered stallions who have expressed an unprofessional, sexual interest in you despite your unwillingness to participate in such encounters?"

"Yup."

"I… see. I am sorry, sister, if I brought up unpleasant memories," Dawn said with a frown; she'd just had to open her mouth. Was there anything that Vendetta's presence didn't ruin?

Insipid waved that thought off with her hoof. "Psh. Don't worry about me. The last guy who tried that whole 'oh yeah baby I'll make you a star' crap with me ended up in the hospital." She idly examined her hooficure, utterly nonchalant. "'Cause, y'know. Superpowers. I didn't forget that I have 'em."

Dawn tilted her head. "I would never assume that you did, though I doubt that you get much practice with them."

"Meh." Insipid then turned serious. "But! Even though nopony's gonna get away with it with me doesn't mean that they don't get away with it with other ponies, mares and stallions alike. There're lots and lots of creepy pervert jerks all over the place, y'know? And like, that's not okay. Nopony should feel pressured to do that stuff to get ahead in life."

Dawn nodded. "That is definitely something that I can agree with, yes."

"And that's why I started up a little activist movement. I dunno if you've, like, heard of it or anything, 'cause it's not really that big yet and we have to deal with a lot of bureaucratic lameness, but it's called SPLASH: Society of Ponies Lobbying Against Sexual Harassment."

"Huh. Clever."

"You like it? Came up with it myself. See, 'cause we're making a splash on the scene? Eh? Eh?" Insipid shook her head in disbelief. "Can you believe that there, like, wasn't an organization like this before now, or whatever?"

Dawn blinked, legitimately surprised. "No, actually. I was under the impression that all companies and corporations and other such groups handled their own sexual harassment issues internally."

"Oh, they do. But like, that's the problem? Major. Sleazy. They brush stuff under the rug all the time! Hush-hush cover-ups and pay-offs and whatnot, smear efforts against accusers, all sorts of bad stuff!"

Dawn felt rather alarmed; how long had this been going on? Why was it still going on? How often did this sort of thing happen? Why would a company brush it all aside? She voiced some of these concerns to Insipid.

"Well, I mean, why wouldn't they?" Insipid replied. "If certain things got made public, that'd be totally bad for business. But business isn't as important as dignity! So that's what I wanna put a stop to, y'know?"

"And this group that you have formed, it is not affiliated with any other organization? Not even the NPAF, NPPD, or CIA?"

"Nnnnope! Independently-funded, non-profit, volunteer-operated." Insipid tapped her temple. "I did my homework." A pause. "Okay, Curie helped a bit." Another pause. "A lot. I mean, duh. You know that Curie's wife was harassed by—" Another pause, her eyes widened "Oh. Oh! Wow, small world. She got harassed by the same guy you're dealing with. What a total skeeze!"

Dawn sighed and nodded. "Yes, I am aware. But I did not know that you were forming an organization of your own to alleviate the issue."

Insipid tapped her hooves together. "Oh, we're not really, um, alleviating anything. Not in, like, any official capacity. But like, we find ponies that have been hurt by this kind of stuff, y'know, and we try to help them find legal means to fight back before their bosses keep 'em quiet; out-of-court settlements are way bigger than behind-closed-doors deals. And when we can, we also try to expose the jerks who commit this stuff!"

"That is… extremely admirable of you." A pause. "If I might be honest with you, Insipid, tonight has enlightened me to the fact that… I was desperately, horribly wrong about you."

Insipid sipped casually from her wine. "Hmm?"

"I had always considered you to be many things, sister. If I might sum them all up into a single word, I considered you to be… a waste." Dawn nervously rubbed the back of her neck. "But to be more precise, I considered your intellect to be insubstantial, your career to be a futile field with nothing to offer, and your drive and work ethic to be pathetic.

"Because of this, I never gave you the proper respect as a sister, as an individual. I have ignored you to the point that I was utterly ignorant that you had even moved out of Pandora Tower and were living your own life." Dawn sighed and shook her head. "I am a deplorable, reprehensible pony and sister, Insipid, and I can understand why you must hate me. But… I am sorry for how I have treated you."

Insipid continued to sip her wine, slowly, as was appropriate, without taking her eyes off of Dawn whatsoever. After a moment, Insipid set her glass down, smacked her lips, and gave Dawn a firm nod. "I accept your apology."

Dawn blinked. "You… you do? Just like that?"

"Of course!" Insipid chuckled. She reached her hoof across the table and set it on top of Dawn's. "You're my sister, Dawn, and I love you. I know that I didn't like the way you treated me, and I know that it made me sad that we stopped talking altogether, but I've never, ever hated you for it."

"R-really?"

"Really really. What kind of a sister would I be if you, like, poured your heart out like that and I just told you to buzz off and junk?" She shook her head. "The fact that you're, like, doing this right now tells me that you're probably trying to do this with the others too? 'Cause like, I know I wasn't the only one you didn't treat right. Right?"

Dawn nodded and sighed, knowing just how true that was. "Right. I have also been attempting to make amends with Havoc and Gray thus far, and Curaçao as well."

"Oh, psh, everypony knows you and Curie don't have to mend anything together."

"Perhaps together, no, but her wife and daughter are estranged from me, which is where I must focus my efforts." Dawn paused for a moment as a thought struck her. "Which only serves to remind me that Shroud used to work as my secretary, and as Father's. Hmm. Perhaps I can use that as a groundwork."

"Maybe, yeah. And hey, good for you if you're trying to, like, make this work with Havoc and Gray and whatever." Insipid lifted her glass to her lips. "You're gonna totally need some luck for those two."

"I imagine so, yes. So far I have attempted… 'foal steps' with them." Dawn took her own wine glass to her lips. "It is a start, I hope."

Insipid moved her glass over towards Dawn, as if to clink their glasses together. "To family?"

Dawn paused, then smiled. "To family."

And so their glasses did clink together, and they drank their wine in unison, and Dawn was happy with the thought that maybe, just maybe, all of this would work out.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Remember

It took three days via pony-drawn carriage to reach the city of Utopia from the town of Newhaven, and what a wonderful three days it had been. The southern continent, as it turned out, wasn't just reminiscent of Twilight's own Equestria, it may as well have been part of home this entire time. If she didn't know any better she'd have said that this wasn't a different world at all, but just some undiscovered country that had yet to be put on her maps.

By day their caravan travelled at a swift, steady pace; by night, they would camp out under the stars at designated camping sites. They weren't the only ponies on the road whatsoever, nor the only ones camping at these sites, but other traveling groups stuck to themselves and didn't disturb their caravan, or vice versa. It was all so delightfully mundane compared to the excitement of the past month.

The fields of green grass stretched out as far as the eye could see. During the day the sky was a gorgeous blue with plenty of perfectly white clouds. The sun shined brilliantly in the day but it was never too hot, and the moons and stars were bright enough to light the way even in the dead of night. There were plenty of plants and animals to be seen no matter where you looked. And oh, the smells.

It was all so real despite how different it was from the north. Was this really part of the same world?

Then they arrived at Utopia itself, sometime in the late morning, and Twilight noted that pictures didn't do the place justice whatsoever. The city was built into a shallow valley such that it filled most of the space available, save for a lake and a river on the far eastern side. It wasn't as big as New Pandemonium or even Hope's Point, but it was still big enough to impress folks who weren't used to such places. With its tall, white spires and cozy-looking homes, it actually reminded Twilight a lot of Canterlot.

It certainly seemed to live up to its name.

House Silver's estate was just on the far northern edge of the city, built up on the side of the slope leading down into the valley. The manor was much larger than House Sky's estate back in Newhaven, and more extravagant to boot, but then Twilight supposed that went hoof-in-hoof with the fact that the Silvers were the most powerful noble family in the south; they'd need a home to match.

The building itself was made of some sort of marble from what Twilight could tell, somehow tinted silver such that it even reflected light like the real metal would, but anypony could tell it wasn't actually metal. There was a large garden on the west side of the estate, replete with flowers, trees, and hedge trimmings that were being tended to by a single gardener. There also seemed to be a large yard of some sort on the opposite side, strewn with archaic training equipment.

When the caravan reached the manor gates, the guards wordlessly opened without so much as a second's hesitation; they obviously saw Lady Silverluck in the front carriage and didn't need much more confirmation than that. The party entered through the gates and parked in the front courtyard, whereupon everypony disembarked and watched as servants began collecting luggage without even needing to be told.

In the meantime, Silverluck sent a messenger along to Harmonia's temple to request an audience with Harmonia's Warden. The details were kept slim, but Silverluck said that they weren't necessary since Harmonia was literally all around them and very likely already knew they were here. The temple would probably summon them for a meeting before dinnertime tonight.

"Welcome, all, to Silver Manor, the estate of House Silver for over forty generations," announced Silverluck, who proudly gestured at her ancestral home. "You may all make yourselves at home as you see fit, and rooms have already been arranged and assigned. Lunch is being organized as we speak."

"You have a lovely home, Lady Silverluck," Twilight said with a smile as she looked about. "Has your family really lived here for over a thousand years?"

"Indeed we have, though obviously repairs and modifications have been made to keep the estate in top condition," Silverluck replied. "Naturally we have also made expansions to it in keeping with our standing in southern society. You may notice how our estate is significantly larger than House Sky's manor?"

"I did notice that, yes."

"That's because Lord Skycatcher has yet to complete his expansions. Because of his higher standing in the nobility these past few decades, he is more than allowed to do so, so I figure he's just taking his time to decide what he wants." A pause. "I suggested a pool house, but I suppose he does have the ocean right there."

Twilight tilted her head. "The nobility restricts how big you can make your house based on how important you are?"

Silverluck nodded. "Precisely. Though fret not, we don't make the lords or ladies demolish parts of their homes should they fall out of favor, though they are restricted from making use of the space. Their larger, empty homes serve to them as a reminder of what they once had and must work to regain."

"I see. Interesting."

Twilight kept the thought to herself that it sounded arbitrary and bizarre, but then that was how the nobility and aristocracy worked even back home even at the best of times. So many rules and traditions that they just didn't want to change no matter how outdated they might be.

The party was then soon greeted by the "proper" Lord and Lady of the house, Silverluck's parents: Lord Silverhoof and Lady Summer Rose. The latter hailed from another noble house, House Flower, hence the name. Apparently commoners here in the south were not allowed to name their foals with certain words if those words "belonged" to a noble house.

That every single flower was claimed by House Flower seemed rather limiting. Nopony was allowed to name their newborns with any variations of Daisy, Rose, Tulip, Violet, etcetera, unless they petitioned House Flower first. The same applied to the other houses, thus there were no commonfolk with the words Silver, Gold, Sky, Wind, Green, Night, Snow, Water, or Light in their names either.

Again, arbitrary and bizarre.

Though obviously this didn't apply to ponies in the north. Twilight did wonder, however, if any ponies in the north with names that evoked the noble houses in the south could trace their lineage here, or if they'd just been given the names like, well, a normal pony. It would probably take years to make that kind of genealogical connection.

That sounded like a fun project, actually. Something to think about after the merger.

Lord Silverhoof was, in a word, old. His coat and mane were slightly different shades of silvery gray, though that alone wasn't a sign of age considering his heritage, but he was a bit on the wrinkly side and had a great big beard. His wife, Lady Summer Rose, was younger, though obviously old enough to be Silverluck's mother, which would place her firmly on the older side of middle-age. Her coat was a lovely rose red, her mane a pale pink.

"Father, Mother," Silverluck greeted the pair with a low nod.

"Ah, my dear girl, it's good to see you again," Silverhoof said with a grin, stepping forward to pull his daughter in for a hug. "We received your messages of these strange tidings you bring, and though it troubles us deeply, we are proud of the work you have done. You shall make a wonderful lady of the house soon enough."

"Don't be so hasty to pass on the mantle yet, Father," Silverluck chuckled. "I still have much to learn on the proper way to lead our house, and circumstances are due to change rather soon." She then gestured towards the collected ponies—and other creatures—who had come along for the journey. "I believe that introductions are in order."

As Twilight had just been conversing with Silverluck, she was introduced first, with her proper title and everything; she could see some confusion on the old lord's face, but it was only temporary; Silverluck had sent word ahead of the situation they were all in, so the confusion was likely that he didn't expectTwilight to be so tall; nopony knew she was an alicorn if they didn't need to know.

These introductions continued down the line as only seemed proper, most of them kept short because the ponies being introduced weren't of noble origins and as such had no influence here and no need for Lord Silverhoof and his wife to be anything more than just polite and courteous, as opposed to openly friendly. And at least they were polite and courteous without a hint of pomposity.

Lord Golden Shield and Lord Skycatcher needed no introductions not only because Silverhoof and Summer Rose already knew them, but because they weren't here; the former had returned southwest to his home in Deepgrove to begin arranging things at his own estate, and the latter remained in Newhaven to do the same. They'd also be sending word to the other noble houses to arrange a summit of their own to discuss matters.

After greeting Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood, Silverluck introduced her parents to Rarity, which did actually give the lord and lady pause. Twilight didn't understand why at first, but Rarity was quick on the draw as always:

"My Lord, My Lady, it is a pleasure to meet you. Your reactions are perfectly understandable, and I apologize if I've brought up any bad memories with my presence," she said with a bow.

Silverhoof shook his head. "No… no, no bad memories. Just a wave of nostalgia, that's all. Silverluck told us about you, but until I saw it with my own eyes I did not think the similarities would be so striking."

"I had the same thought myself, Father," said Silverluck with a nod. "Though I feel I reacted more strongly than you and Mother have. Hence why I sent word ahead, to prepare you for it. It is quite the resemblance, is it not?"

"Hmm." Silverhoof gently brushed his hoof against Rarity's mane; she didn't seem to mind. "Different mane color, of course. But otherwise, yes, you could almost be our dear Silver Glow walking the world again, just as I remember her when I saw her last. You said your name is Rarity?"

"Yes, My Lord," Rarity responded with another low nod.

"A lovely name indeed. An amusing thought comes to mind, as we have an ancestor named Rarest Silver. A stallion, mind, but still."

Once introductions were finished—Gilderoy certainly drew a lot of curiosity, but it was the younger children that drew most of the old couple's attention, funnily enough—everypony present was invited to lunch here at the manor before they went about their business in the city.

Considering the road thus far, Twilight graciously and gratefully accepted the invitation, as sitting down indoors rather than riding along in a bumpy carriage sounded like heaven; her rear was sore from the ride and she desperately wanted to find the most comfortable chair that the estate could offer.

Ambassador Zultan, though, declined the invitation. "Thou art kind, My Lord, My Ladies, to inviteth me into thy home, but I regret that I hath duties to attend to before Harmonia doth grace us with her presence. His Majesty King Zaratite must be informed of our situation posthaste. Only a zebra messenger's words will be trusted, hence why I hath not sent word sooner."

"It's alright, Ambassador," Silverluck said with a smile. "Your duties to your country come first." A pause, and she brushed her mane out of her face, a hint of pink in her cheeks. "Are you… planning on traveling to Zeb'ra'den with the others when they leave?"

"Aye, My Lady, I must. His Majesty will no doubt desire mine account of these matters from mine own lips rather than via pen and parchment. But I will return to my duties here once my business at home is completed."

"Excellent. I shall arrange a meeting upon your return. You'll have to… fill me in on the details of your journey."

He smiled and took her hoof in his. "I look forward to that, My Lady Silverluck," he said with a kiss to her pastern, a gesture which Twilight knew was considered quite proper amongst nobles, yet it seemed much more friendly than that.

Obviously there was no other way to interpret it, though, as Lady Silverluck was married, even if she never had much to say about her husband.

As Zultan headed off, he wordlessly gestured for Sir Zircon to follow, who did so without hesitation after giving the ponies present a brief salute, hoof to chest. Zircon's eyes did drift slightly to Applejack, and Twilight could have sworn there was just the tiniest gesture of his head as if he were inviting her along.

Twilight was surprised—mostly because she'd been right!—when Applejack followed after the zebras, turning back to the group before she did. "Uh, no offense ta y'all, but these high falootin' lunches in a noble estate just, uh, ain't my speed. If y'all don't mind I'm gonna see what kinda food the rest o' the city has ta offer."

"You're sure?" asked Flathoof. "I mean, I get it, this fancy stuff really isn't for me either, but it's been a long trip. Sure you don't wanna just take it easy for a little bit?"

"Nah, it's fine. Mister Thou o'er here invited me ta lunch at the zebra embassy, then we're gonna do some trainin'. You're welcome ta join us if ya want."

Flathoof paused, tilting his head, then chuckled. "No, I don't think I will. Maybe later I'll head over to see how your training's coming along though."

"Sure, sounds good!" Applejack waved to the group as she headed off after the two zebras.

Twilight was glad that even if Applejack was refusing to participate in these "high falootin'" traditions, she was at least going off with others instead of just by herself. And at the very least Zircon would keep an eye on her; the two seemed like they'd become good friends and there was nothing about that that Twilight didn't approve of. Making friends with folks in this other world would help when it came time to merge the worlds together, after all.

*****

Applejack had heard Twilight compare this Utopia place to Canterlot while they were on the ride over. Seeing it up close like this, walking through the streets rather than riding in a carriage, just made that comparison seem more accurate, at least from Applejack's perspective. She was sure that Twilight was used to riding around Canterlot in a chariot or carriage nowadays, but Applejack had always done it with her own four hooves, even nowadays as part of the Friendship Council.

She followed along after Zircon, who in turn followed Ambassador Zultan, though Zircon kept his distance somewhat. Despite originally being called a "bodyguard" to the ambassador it was clear that Zircon was actually no such thing, and that had been clear for some time now; Zultan had brought him along just to help understand ponies better, nothing more.

"And now there is no doubt in my mind that he hath no need of such services anymore," Zircon said with a smile and a nod. "He hath a new guide from Lady Silverluck, and she shalt giveth him all the… experience he needeth to serve Zeb'ra'den honorably and, hmm, vigorously."

"Yeah, they sure do seem awful friendly with one another," Applejack said, scratching the side of her head. "But hey, that's a good thing, right? Makin' friends 'n' such is a mighty good thing ta be doin' considerin' all that's happenin' right now."

"Aye, a wise consideration indeed. 'Tis a shame that their friendship as it is blossoming now shalt not last forever. Mine only hope is that they can maintain good ties after the fact."

"Huh?"

"Ambassador Zultan is unmarried at present; he hath taken no wife, for he is not of high noble birth. 'Tis happenstance that he hath been appointed the Ambassador to Utopia. However, with all that hath happened as of late, 'tis certain that his standing shalt prosper, and thus he shalt likely be engaged in a marriage contract soon enough. "

"I ain't followin'. What's that got ta do wit' Lady Silverluck bein' his friend? She's married too, ain't she? Are married ponies not allowed to be friends wit' one another?"

"Of the sort of 'friends' they are, aye, 'twould be improper to continue their dalliances after that. There art certain limits to our customs, ponies and zebras both."

"Huh?"

Zircon tilted his head, as if surprised that Applejack wasn't following. "Hmm. Mayhap I am the only one who knows or hath noticed. Ah, if thou dost not knoweth, than I shalt not revealeth this to thee; 'twould be in poor form, and I fear I hath already said too much."

"Uh… sure, whatever. I'll drop it, I guess." Applejack shrugged and moved on after him, not sure what that was all about. "So, uh… what's Zeb'ra'den like, anyhow? I figure if we're headin' there soon, might be nice ta know a bit more 'bout it."

He smiled. "Words doth not do my home justice, for Common Equish hath no words that would suffice. 'Twould be akin to describing color to a creature who hath no eyesight."

"Psh, don't you gimme that malarkey, Mister Thou, 'cause I don't buy it."

"Couldst thou put the splendors of thine own home into words that thou wouldst feel truly capture what thou dost see when thine eyes gaze upon it?"

She blinked. "I mean… no, I guess not. I could tell ya what it looks like and sounds like 'n' such, but 'tain't the same as bein' there yerself." She shook her head. "But that's not the point. I didn't mean fer ya ta tell me what it looks like. What're the folks like there? They ain't all like you, I hope."

He let out a single, loud laugh. "Ha! Thou art attempting a jab at me, but thou canst not penetrate mine armor with such simple barbs." He shook his head. "But nay, they art not all like me. Zeb'ra'den hath both common folk and highborns, workers and warriors, artists and merchants; we art not too different from ponies much as we try to claimeth to be."

"I figured as much, but it's nice ta hear. I don't mind bein' 'round high-class folk like y'all, really, but I'd feel mighty outta sorts if'n that's what everyone was like. Not that you're one o' them prissy frou-frou high-class types, o' course. Ya know what it's like ta work hard."

"Thy praise is most appreciated." He paused for a long moment, then said, "'Tis clear to me that thou wouldst fit right in with the warrior culture of Zeb'ra'den."

She tilted her head. "How d'ya figure? I'm just a farmer."

"No, not 'just' a farmer. Thy heart is that of a warrior. I know that thou dost not likely see it as such, but I do."

"Shucks, I ain't no warrior. What, ya think just 'cause I know how ta fight that I'm some sort o' soldier or somethin'?"

"Nay, not a soldier. 'Tis not my intended meaning. Being a warrior doth not mean that one must fight in war." He gave her a small smile. "In my culture, to possesseth a warrior's heart is to have the drive to fight and win. Not just in battle, but in life. Thou art a farmer, true, but dost thou not strive in e'ry harvest to do better than thou didst the harvest before?"

Applejack tilted her head again, the other way, then nodded. "I mean, sure, I'm always lookin' ta make every year better than the last one. Don't sit right wit' me ta sit on my laurels."

"Aye, and 'tis a warrior's philosophy. There are many who hath called me the 'best' swordfighter in the south, mayhap the world. Dost thou not think that I still doth practice my swordplay e'ry day?" He shook his head. "Nay, for were I to stop, then I wouldst not be the 'best' any longer."

"Yeah… alright, I can buy that. If practicin' e'ry day makes ya the best, then ya gotta keep doin' it ta stay the best."

She nodded appreciatively, finding a certain wisdom in his words; she had to admit, she certainly did everything she could back home to be the "best" apple farmer in all of Equestria and bring prosperity to Sweet Apple Acres year after year. Maybe there was something to the "heart of a warrior" deal. She certainly didn't mind the praise, not from him at least; he made it sound like a desirable trait to have.

"So, ya think that just 'cause I'm always pushin' myself to be better, I'm some kinda warrior, an' so I'd fit right in at Zeb'ra'den wit' folks like you?"

He gave her another smile. "Aye. Thou wouldst find thyself right at home. 'Twould be mine honor to introduce thee to the sights and sounds, to my friends and family."

She smiled right back. "Well shucks, when ya put it like that, you're makin' me really look forward ta seein' it fer myself. You're alright wit' me, Mister Thou."

*****

It was after lunch, and Sunspire was overcome with a sudden bout of wanderlust. Wanderlust with a purpose, mind you; this was no aimless wandering that he was embarking on, oh no, he had a plan. He hadn't had time to look around Newhaven, but now he had all day here in Utopia to do whatever he wanted to do. He hoped that he wouldn't need the entire day to do it, though.

Serendipity and Green Guard came along with him, as they'd been doing for the past few days, and after they'd all asked permission to explore the city of course. Luckily they seemed to be a little less… weird today. Sunspire didn't know why they'd been acting so odd—they seemed to be competing, perhaps?—and he definitely didn't know why they'd stopped doing so today, but he was glad that they did, because sometimes they could be… distracting.

Luckily, the city had two very important qualities to it that made it easy for Sunspire and his friends to find what he was looking for:

First, it wasn't really all that crowded around here. Despite the size of the city—smaller than Hope's Point but still plenty large—it's population didn't seem particularly big. Sure, the streets were still packed with ponies walking to and fro as they went about their days, but the sidewalks were also a little wider and there just felt like there were less ponies to occupy them. The young ponies were able to travel about without much of a fuss at all.

Second, the ponies around here were very helpful, to the point that even Hope's Point seemed downright rude. He asked a random patrolling guard pony where he might be able to find the city's markets, and the guard not only told him where it was, but escorted him and his friends there without so much as a complaint. Sunspire had to ask twice, though; the guard, for some reason, didn't speak Common Equish that well, and instead spoke fluent Romantique.

He had to repeat that in his head to try and make sure it made sense: a pony, a perfectly normal, average pony, spoke fluent Romantique but lacked a grasp of Common Equish. A pony… that didn't speak Equish. No, it didn't make sense even after repeating it; in fact it made less sense after repeating it than it did in the first place. The south was truly bizarre at times.

"Wow, I didn't know you spoke Romantique, Sunspire," Green said, his tone tinged with awe.

"Oh, I don't speak it fluently," Sunspire replied with a grin. "I'm learning from Missus Curaçao as best I can, though. It's tough. Did you know that all of the nouns in the language are either masculine or feminine? It's very strange."

Serendipity tapped her chin. "I'm amazed you even have the time to take those extracurriculars with all the other stuff you're already taking, and with Miss Dawn's own workload she gives you."

"It's because he's a hard worker, that's why," Green said, nose in the air.

"Oh believe me, I know. I have to tell him to take a break every other day so that he doesn't work himself to death, or at least it feels like I do."

"Miss Dawn expects a certain level of work ethic from all of her protégés," Sunspire grunted. "I'm just trying to be the best that I can be."

Serendipity tapped his shoulder. "Just as long as you don't get too bogged down in— ooh!" She bent down and picked up a large bit that neither Sunspire nor Green had noticed right there in the middle of the street. "Check it out, a two hundred-bit piece! I didn't even know they made this denomination!"

"Looks like today's your lucky day," Green chuckled.

"Oh, Green. Every day is my lucky day."

In the city's market district, the trio walked around between various stands that had been set up and were selling their wares, as well as by a multitude of permanent shops doing the same. Everything was for sale, from various types of different food—and different vendors specialized in certain types or even specific kinds—to various types of clothing, from weapons and armor—both crude and professional—to toys and dolls. None of this was what Sunspire was searching for, however.

But he did eventually find exactly the sort of shop he wanted to find after about an hour of searching: a little hole-in-the-wall store that advertised that it was selling timekeeping devices. It was a small shop, certainly, with barely enough room for more than a single average-sized customer at a time. The walls were covered in various types of contraptions such as hourglasses, sundials, even magical water clocks and incense clocks.

But what really drew Sunspire's attention were the various clocks and watches in the glass cases right at his eye level. There were dozens of them in all sorts of intricate designs and made of shiny materials; yes, this was exactly what he was looking for.

He got the attention of the shopkeeper by ringing a bell near the counter. The shopkeeper was an older stallion, a unicorn, with a big fez cap with a too-long tassel. "Ah, customers! How can I help you today?"

Sunspire smiled and pointed at the closest glass case to him. "I wanted to purchase one of your clockwork… er, clocks, or watches. Could you help me select one?"

"Certainly, young master. What sort of qualities are you looking for?"

"Something old-fashioned like this was pretty much all I had in mind at first…" Sunspire muttered. "I'll be honest, I don't know a lot about these sorts of things. I'm used to digital clocks back home."

"Digital…" The shopkeeper paused, then clasped his hooves together. "Ahh, you're from the north, I assume?"

"Yes sir."

"While I do not often get many customers from the northern continent, I have had a few here and there. Typically tourists looking to bring home an 'old-fashioned' souvenir, as you would call it. A novelty.

"I'm afraid that these clocks are more work than you would expect from just some display piece, young master. They require maintenance, frequent winding, and great care for them to function properly." The shopkeeper shook his head. "If you are not ready for such responsibilities, I would recommend against such a purchase."

"Oh, it's actually not for me. It's a gift for…" Sunspire paused for a moment, then nodded. "For my big sister. It's not just for the novelty of it, either. She loves clocks, especially these sorts of old-fashioned ones. I think she would really enjoy one, and I know she'd take good care of it, too."

The shopkeeper nodded in understanding. "A fine gift it will be then, young master. Let us see if we can find something she would like, hmm?"

Sunspire and the shopkeeper browsed through many of the wind-up clocks, trying to find the perfect one, and eventually settled on a small pocket watch with a gold and palladium case with a brass finish on a silver chain. Having seen what Winter's Timekeeper looked like—the magical contraption was surprisingly plain—Sunspire knew that Hourglass would never be able to confuse the two.

"An excellent choice, young master," the shopkeeper said as he placed the watch into a gift box lined with velvet. "That'll be two hundred bits."

Sunspire paled; he hadn't brought nearly that amount of money. "Oh. Um…"

Serendipity then cleared her throat and handed him the heavy two hundred-bit piece she'd miraculously found earlier.

"I… but… I can't take this. It's yours."

"Just take it, sheesh," Serendipity grunted. "I found it on the ground for crying out loud, completely out of the blue. It's your lucky day now."

Sunspire shook his head and handed the bit over to the shopkeeper. "Um, will this do?"

The shopkeeper glanced at the piece, examining it with his magic, then bit it between his teeth for half a second. Once satisfied, he nodded. "Very good." He then passed the box over to Sunspire, who placed it in his saddlebag. "Have a pleasant day, young master. I hope your sister enjoys your gift, hmm?"

"Thank you!" He turned to Serendipity and Green and gave them each a smile. "Thanks for coming with me, guys. I appreciate the company. And the lucky break on the bits."

"Pshaw. What are friends for?" Serendipity said, throwing her hoof around Sunspire's shoulder.

Green scuffed his hoof on the floor. "I didn't even do anything, though. Serendipity found the money."

Sunspire tilted his head. "I mean, yeah, but… you still came with me when you didn't have to, right? I'm just glad you're here. Oh! Maybe you can carry the box back to the estate so that Hourglass doesn't see it? I want it to be a surprise."

"Oh. Sure. I can do that."

Sunspire handed the box over, and Green discreetly slipped it into his jacket pocket. "Thanks, Green. I appreciate it."

"Um… y-you're welcome," Green replied, his face a little red. "I think Hourglass is really gonna like her present, by the way."

"Yeah. I really hope she does."

*****

After finishing up lunch, Twilight joined Winter to go on a little excursion into the city for the time being while they waited for word from Harmonia's temple. Walking the streets of Utopia was an incredible experience. She felt like she was right back in Canterlot all over again, back when she was still young and attending Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and was just taken in by all the sights for the first time.

Well, apart from being as tall as she was now, anyway. Being so tall made it impossible to look up at the buildings with the same kind of wide-eyed wonder that she once had, that other ponies who were seeing this city for the first time would likely have. A part of her was cursing her newfound role as an alicorn princess, cursing the fact that she couldn't see things with the same eyes that she had as a unicorn.

It also didn't help that she drew a lot of attention because of her height, either. Ponies like Crossfire, Flathoof, and Gray Skies nearly matched her height, but the three of them were already taller than average and had the bulk to go with it; Twilight was just tall, completely lacking the same kind of musculature that they had. Thank goodness nopony could see her wings.

All of those thoughts were forgotten when Winter brought her to their destination, though: the Utopian Central Library. The humor behind the name wasn't lost on her:

Years ago, when she and her friends had first arrived in this world and were still desperately pretending that they weren't from another world, even to Flathoof and Lockwood, before they had even met Winter, Twilight had applied for a job as a librarian. And, without a single bit of knowledge about this world other than there was a city in the south named Utopia, she'd come up with the Utopian Central Library on a whim to use as a reference.

It amused her that it was a real place after all.

Just thinking about that made Twilight remember those days again from long ago. She'd been happy spending time with Winter and Dawn at the library in New Pandemonium. She'd enjoyed the company of her boss, Archimedes. She wondered how Archimedes was doing these days, actually; he'd been distraught when she'd quit, telling her that she'd been the best employee he'd ever had. She felt bad leaving him high and dry like that.

The Utopian Central Library was everything Twilight imagined it could be, though. Books upon books upon books lined wall after wall after wall, stretching all the way up to high ceilings that only a pegasus, magic, or a tall, tall ladder could access. To say that she was impressed would be an understatement; she was astounded.

"This library is bigger than the Royal Archives back at home," Twilight said to Winter as they walked along aisles of books, real books, "and that's even including the forbidden section. How are there so many books here? I thought Lady Silverluck made a big deal about how they didn't preserve much from before the civil war?"

"Maybe the southern continent here is bigger than your Equestria back at home?" Winter suggested. "But then also remember that the south is still very much a feudalistic society that gives too much of a shit about bloodlines and stuff that I'm sure your world doesn't make publicly available."

"Hmm. Okay, I suppose that makes some sense. I remember Lady Silverluck saying that each noble house has their own copy of their family genealogical records with information that the public doesn't have, so that would imply that the public versions of those trees can be found here?"

"Yup." Winter gestured at the nearby wall, which was helpfully labeled "House Bloodline History". "See? An entire wall on display here, and then ya remember that there're only a dozen-ish noble houses with any kind of standin' down here. A lot of these books have information on houses that don't even exist anymore."

Twilight tilted her head. "Don't exist as in, they're just not nobles anymore, or…?"

"Let's just keep it at that, eh? The civil war was a bloody fuckin' affair. Nihila did a real number on this place on her first try."

"With everything I've heard about it so far, I don't even know how the south managed to repel her in the first place. I can't imagine anything like that kind of war that Silverluck told me about."

Winter shook her head. "Sheer happenstance, from what I've gathered about it. Nihila tried too hard and accidentally caused alliances to form against common foes. When we get down to Zeb'ra'den, expect to see somepony there from House Snow. They've been staunch allies of the zebras since the war, and they're the two forces that helped turn the tide."

"Hmm. I'll keep that in mind. If the creatures of the south came together to unite against a common enemy like Nihila twice already, they should be able to do it a third time, shouldn't they?"

"That's the hope, yeah."

Twilight sighed and shook her head as she looked at all the volumes in the Bloodlines display. The modern south had twelve noble houses; the ancient south had over a hundred. All of those ponies' entire families were completely wiped out due to hatred and anger caused by Nihila's influence and her minions. She'd be impressed if it weren't so horrible to think about.

Winter showed Twilight to another section of the library, though, and gestured towards another shelf. "But if you're lookin' for somethin' a little more pleasin' to your palate, this oughta do the trick. An entire section about the greatest spellcasters in southern history. Who knows, maybe there's a spell in here that ya might find interestin' enough to try?"

Twilight smiled and approached the shelf. "Wow. There're hundreds of books here. I could spend years reading through them all…"

"Sure, but you've only got a few hours. I'd say ya roll the dice and pick at random, see what ya get."

Twilight did just that, closing her eyes and snagging a random book out the collection before pulling it from the shelf with her magic. "Let's see," she said as she opened her eyes to look at her choice. "The History of the One-And-Only Mistress of Magic, the Illustrious Illusionist, the Amazing Arcanist, and the Splendiferous Spellbinder: Mirage, the—" She paused, taking a second look. "Mirage, the Great and Powerful?! What the hay is this?!"

"Ooh, good pick," Winter said with a smile. "Mirage was famous in the years after the civil war for her ponitarian efforts. She used to travel the continent helping ponies in need and entertaining folks who were downtrodden."

"So she was just a stage magician?"

Winter scoffed. "Just a stage magician? Sure, but what's the problem with that? Folks liked her shows and it lifted spirits all over the south in a time when ponies needed it most."

Twilight balked. "I… th-that's not what I meant. I thought you said this section was dedicated to the greatest spellcasters in Equestrian history?"

"And it is. Stage magic is still magic, Twilight."

"I… but… I mean, sure, but…"

Twilight grumbled and grunted and muttered to herself about how it didn't make sense, but then decided it was best not to argue about and instead just read the book. So she sat down at a nearby table with a very comfortable chair, and she started to read. And read she did, and honestly… she was rather impressed with this "Mirage" character.

If Trixie had been anything like her, Twilight would have never disapproved of her making friends with Starlight as she would've been more than just a good influence. Looking back on it now, though, Twilight realized she'd been kind of a jerk for disapproving, seeing as Trixie and Starlight were so close these days.

She'd barely gotten halfway through the book—she was speed-reading out of sheer frustration and bewilderment, so it took her only thirty minutes—when Winter interrupted her, getting her attention with a none-too-subtle cough and scootch of her chair.

"Ahem?"

Twilight lifted her eyes from the book to look at her friend. "Yes, Winter?"

"I was wonderin' if, um… if I could talk to ya for a bit. About somethin' important that's been buggin' me, if that's alright with you?" Winter said, not meeting Twilight's eyes and tapping her hooves together.

Twilight shut the book—she'd remember where she'd left off—and directed her full attention to Winter. "Sure. I've always got time to talk with you, Winter, you know that."

"Ah, yeah. Thanks. Um… I just wanted to start off by sayin'... I mean, I know I said this already, but I'm sorry about how I treated ya when you popped back into my life again. I was a right bitch, is what I was. Probably worse, actually, but I'm not gonna say the word I'm thinkin' of. We are in a library."

"Winter, I know you're sorry about what happened. I already accepted your apology, y'know. I get it, you were under a lot of stress, and you were mad that I'd done something stupid, and I can admit that I did do something stupid. We all made mistakes, but we're moving past that, right?"

"I know. I just… I guess I'm still afraid that I ruined everythin' I thought we might have had before because of how I acted when I finally saw you again." She took a deep breath. "And… and because of how I acted before you left in the first place."

Twilight tilted her head. "How you acted before I left…?"

"Yeah. The day that you left, I didn't talk to ya the way I'm talkin' to ya now, and I didn't treat ya the way I'd been treatin' ya before that. So… I'm sorry. That was a mistake, and I was wrong to do that to ya."

"You mean how you were a little…" Twilight carefully considered her word choices. "Distant?"

"Yeah, 'distant', that's a good way to put it."

"Y'know, I never really asked why you were acting like that," Twilight said, tapping her chin. "It sort of came out of nowhere."

Winter rubbed the back of her neck. "Ah… yeah. Um… this is kind of hard to ask, but do you remember what happened between us before that?"

Twilight paused, then turned her attention away from Winter for a moment; she could feel her cheeks getting hot. "Yeah. I remember. You never explained what that was about either, actually. Does that have to do with why you were acting weird?"

"Yeah… yeah, it does. Then, and lately too." Winter sighed, running both hooves over her face as she did. "For seven fuckin' years, Twilight, I've never been able to get you out of my mind for very long, and it's all because of a fuckin' kiss I never should've given ya while we were drunk."

Twilight paused for a long moment, still unable to meet Winter's eyes with her own. "I know exactly what you mean…"

"You… ya do?"

"Yeah. I do." Twilight sighed and turned to look Winter in the eyes again. "I spent seven years trying to find some way just to see you again, even if just for a moment, because… I couldn't get that moment out of my head either. I was young and ignorant, and I didn't understand what had happened, what it meant, what I was feeling at the time. That kiss just… blindsided me."

Winter took a breath and shook her head. "I'm sorry. It just… it just happened. I shouldn't have done it—"

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why shouldn't you have done it?"

Winter balked. "I… because I… I just shouldn't have. We were drunk and I wasn't thinkin' straight, and—"

"Did you want to do it, though?" Twilight insisted; she knew Winter had trouble expressing her more positive emotions, and sometimes needed just a little push. She'd been waiting seven years for an answer, and she wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"What?"

"Did you want to kiss me?"

Winter paused again, then gulped and nodded. "Yes. I did. And that's why I shouldn't have done it." She put her hooves over her eyes. "You were leavin', for fuck's sake. I kissed you just days before you were supposed to leave back to your world and disappear from my life forever."

"And you kissed me anyway because…?"

"Because I fuckin' fell in love with you, dammit!" Winter hissed, looking Twilight right in the eyes; she was barely quiet enough for proper library etiquette. "I knew for weeks that I was never gonna see you again and I kissed you anyway because I didn't think I'd ever have another chance. And I shouldn't have done that, because for seven fuckin' years all I could think about was how much I hated myself for doin' it.

"But the real reason I've been hatin' myself is because for those seven years, all I could do was try to forget you. Do you understand me? I put myself through hell for seven years tryin' to forget you because it hurt too much to think about you. That's why I got so fuckin' mad at ya, Twilight. I thought that I'd finally managed to forget… and then you popped right back into my life."

Twilight was silent for a long moment, then tilted her head and asked, "Do you still feel that way about me?"

Winter balked again. "I… what?"

"Do you still love me, Winter?"

Another long moment of silence, then Winter leaned back into her seat, closed her eyes, and nodded. "I do. Dammit, I do."

"Then that's all that I needed to hear."

Twilight had never considered herself a spontaneous pony. Everything she did, she did with a plan in place beforehand, sometimes meticulously put into motion after hours, days, weeks, months of research. She never did anything without double-checking, triple-checking, sometimes even quadruple-checking her notes. She was the definition of circumspect given form.

But right now, the last thing on her mind was a plan; she acted on her thoughts the instant that it was clear what she wanted to do.

And what she wanted to do was lean down, use her magic to pull Winter forward by her scarf, and return a kiss that was seven long years in the waiting.

*****

Harmonia's Temple reminded Rarity more of a royal palace than some sort of place of worship. Not like Blackburn's palace, of course, but like Twilight's back home, with beautiful stained glass windows, long hallways with long rugs with beautiful patterns, high ceilings and tall doors that would make any pony feel small, and with walls and floors made of stone and marble rather than metal.

There had been a number of expectations Rarity had for the innermost place of worship for a goddess such as Harmonia. She expected perhaps to see a multitude of objects of worship or depictions of what the ponies who worshipped her believed that she was capable of. She expected stained glass windows and lavish rugs like the halls outside. Or perhaps something that depicted the fact that Harmonia represented all of the heavenly bodies at this point, sun, moons, and stars.

The inner sanctum was none of these things. If anything, it appeared to be a library. The walls circled around them, lined with rows upon rows of books, far more than she cared to count. Twilight had gushed just moments ago about the Utopian Central Library, but this wasn't that; did this library perhaps carry copies? Or were all of these tomes different, unique to Harmonia's sanctum and exclusive to her Warden's eyes?

Whatever the case, she was confused as to why the inner sanctum was a library of all things. Nothing in the rest of the temple seemed to hint that Harmonia had a particular fondness for books.

A raised platform at the end of the sanctum had a desk and seating accommodations for a large number of guests, larger even than their current group, which included Rarity and her otherworldly friends, Winter, Gray, Gilderoy, Blackburn and Lockwood, and Ambassador Zultan. All it needed was a clerk and the illusion would be complete. Perhaps the Warden served that purpose?

Rarity set those thoughts aside when the small door on the other side of the platform opened.

Harmonia's Warden, Mémoire, looked every bit like the statue of him out in the main hall, though obviously more colorful than just sleek white marble. He was an indigo pegasus with a thin frame and a brown mane, and he wore a white cloak with its hood up to conceal the messy state his mane was in. The cloak bore the same insignia Rarity had seen all over the city: a silver cross emblazoned over a turquoise heart.

"Pardonnez-moi for the wait, everyone," he said, his voice light and airy with the strong touch of a Romantique accent. "There was much to do so that I could prepare for this rendezvous. Aimez-vous ma bibliothèque? Ah… do you like my library?"

"Hello, Warden Mémoire," Twilight said, clearly taken aback by the Warden's forward friendliness. "Yes, I certainly think you have a robust selection here. Is this a private collection, or are these copies of the ones in the city's central library?"

"Oui, copies, but they are my own—" Mémoire paused, then chuckled. "Ah, excusez-moi, I am letting my personal matters come before business!" He trotted into the center of the platform and, to Rarity's surprise, bowed down low to greet them. "C'est un plaisir to finally meet you all."

Twilight hesitated, then met his bow with one of her own, as was considered polite; she'd taken the lead it seemed, so she needed to play the part. "It's good to finally meet you too… I suppose?"

Rarity followed Twilight's example, as did all the others. "You speak as though you were expecting us," she said. "And I mean besides the fact that we sent word ahead of us."

"Oui, I have been expecting you," Mémoire said as he walked over to the desk, though he did sit at it or anything of the sort. "Or rather, My Lady Harmonia has been expecting you for days now. I am sorry that we made you wait, but My Lady was curious about many things in your request letter. She had me look into some things before we summoned you."

"Well we're all here now," Winter said, taking a step forward. "Sorry if I sound pushy, but we need to move things along, eh?"

"Oui, I agree, there is much to discuss. But not with me, of course," the Warden said with a grin. "My Lady wishes to speak with you personally, if you would give me but a moment."

Everypony nodded, but didn't ask any questions. Having seen Dawn channel her father's astral form before so that he could speak to "mortals", or having at least heard about her doing it before, nobody present was expecting anything less than for Harmonia's Warden to channel the alicorn goddess's presence in much the same manner.

The process seemed different, however, to how Rarity had had it described to her:

Mémoire took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a moment, his body glowed with a dim white light that radiated throughout the room, bathing the creatures before him in a comforting warmth. A moment passed, then the glow surrounding Mémoire dissipated, then he at last released the breath he'd been holding. When his eyes opened, a bright white light shone forth from them.

He gave the group before him a bright smile, then spoke to them in a voice that was not his own, but instead a soft-spoken, velvety, feminine voice that flowed and echoed about the room, entrancingly slow and beautiful. The glow from his eyes spread softly out around the room, and in the light there appeared a pearly-white outline of a pony, larger than all of those present, with both wings larger than his own, and a horn.

Those who had seen Silvertongue do this before seemed impressed; apparently Dawn's father wasn't quite as showy.

"Greetings, my little ponies," Harmonia said, her voice utterly drowning out her Warden's. She then turned and nodded at Zultan. "And to thee, my zebra comrade." And another nod to Gilderoy. "And to thee, good sir gryphon. I hath not seen one of thy kind in many a year." She frowned. "'Tis quite a curious surprise, as 'twas mine understanding that thy people were no more. 'Tis untrue, 'twould seem."

"Indeed it is, My Lady," Gilderoy said with a small smile. "Though not entirely untrue. I am the last of my kind, I'm afraid. It's a rather somber tale."

"And one I would very much like to hear, good sir, yet I fear it must wait for there is a more pressing concern to address." She turned to the collective group as a whole, her eyes piercing through each and every one of them. "Thy message mentioned 'Pandemonia'. I wouldst demand an immediate explanation, for if 'tis a jape, I findeth it in poor taste."

Rarity was actually rather surprised at the goddess's tone; despite the warmth and kindness she had expressed earlier, now she was terse and quite serious. And no wonder, come to think of it; it wasn't often that one received news of a sister that had not used her real name in over two thousand years.

It was Twilight who stepped forward to speak first, but before she could even get a word out, Harmonia turned on her, her face alight with curiosity. She did not speak, however, just let Twilight get right into it, and she did not once interrupt as Twilight spun the tale of Pandemonia as they all knew it thus far. Though Rarity did notice that the room's light constantly shifted through the story; the southern goddess's emotions might as well have been a storm, if the light shifts meant anything.

Once Twilight concluded the story, Harmonia stayed silent for a long time, the light of the room steadily dimming until it was near the levels it had been at before the goddess had appeared, maybe a bit lower actually.

"'Tis true, this tale that thou hast spun…" she murmured, her voice impossibly sad; Rarity felt her heart sink just from that voice alone, as if the weight of the world was crashing down on her. "'Twas not my sister that made war with me. 'Twas not my sister that brought such pain and death to our world. 'Twas never her… 'twas never her… oh, Pandemonia, forgiveth me…"

"No, it was never her," Twilight repeated with a gentle tone. "Everything that's happened over these past two thousand years was Nihila's doing, not your sister's. Pandemonia loves you, and she misses you terribly. But because of the Beacons—"

"I cannot senseth her presence in either the mortal realm nor the Dreaming," Harmonia completed. "'Tis a cruel irony; my sister lives free of Nihila's influence, and yet I cannot embraceth her as I once did in ages past. She is so close, and yet so far away. She wouldst find it poetic that I must overcome Adversity myself to achieve mine own Prosperity."

Harmonia's warm, soothing light returned, and her form seemed to straighten. She stared right at Twilight, her curious expression returning. "Hmm. Thou art an alicorn. I wouldst claim the sight to be impossible, were it not standing before me. How is it that this hath come to be? Who art thou, truly?"

Twilight nodded and unfurled her wings from out of her sweater. "Yes, I am an alicorn. I'm also not from this world." She gestured at Rarity and the others from home. "My friends and I hail from a different world than this one, and were brought here by accident. Twice, actually. Once seven years ago, and most recently a month ago."

"Hmm. Thy words ringeth true; thy spirit cannot hideth falsehoods from my gaze. Other worlds… 'tis not a subject on which I know much."

"And there's more," Winter said, stepping forward. "This world is dyin', My Lady. The balance between Light and Darkness is subtly shiftin' towards Darkness because of Nihila's presence, and Twilight here is the only thing keepin' her in check. But soon, even Twilight's Light and the Light of her friends won't be enough to stop it. The world will die."

Harmonia stared at Winter for a long moment, then nodded. "I hath sensed this imbalance of Light and Dark of which thou speakest, but I didst not know what didst bringeth it to such a state. Now that I do, I shalt aid thee in thy quest, loath though I am to engage in conflict. 'Tis not in my nature to do so, you see…"

"We've heard as much," said Twilight. "From Lord Silvertongue."

Harmonia's light flared slightly, and she eyed Twilight curiously for a moment. "Hmm. Again the truth in thy words ringeth true, and yet again I wouldst not believe it even though I knoweth it to be true. Thou claimest that my former Warden Silvertongue still lives and that he hath spoken to thee? How? When?"

Twilight then explained Silvertongue's role not just in recent events, but in events past, and Gilderoy filled in some of the details. Again, Harmonia remained silent through it, her only reaction being the flickering of light from her form as she listened. Rarity was thankful that the reactions were not nearly as strong as they had been during Pandemonia's tale; she was afraid it might damage her eyes.

Harmonia shook her head once the tale was concluded. "My Warden… my dearest Warden Silvertongue, thou hast committed such atrocities all in the name of balance, of perfection. 'Tis a distressing truth…" She looked between Twilight and Gilderoy. "And thou sayest that he hath ascended into an alicorn state such as mine? That he doth reside in the Dreaming now?"

"Indeed he does, My Lady," Gilderoy said with a nod. "Though I am afraid that that has unfortunately only complicated matters further. If I might put it into mathematical terms, using my knowledge of how our world's balance works and the data that I have collected from Miss Glow, I think I can succinctly explain why your involvement is absolutely mandatory moving forward.

"You are still the undisputed source of Light in our world. If one looks at the balance as a percentile, then your Light, and that of your Beacon, measure together at fifty points out of one hundred. Silvertongue and the northern Beacon also register at fifty, together; however, Silvertongue does not have total dominance over the northern Beacon as you do here in the south, and so that Darkness might not be on our side, so to speak."

"Nihila, wherever she might be, brings the northern Darkness up to about ninety points; Pandemonia adds another thirty, bringing the total to one hundred twenty. Twilight only brings the Light back up to about ninety points herself, and her friends', unfortunately, add very little."

"Hence the imbalance," Winter noted. "That's the current level, which is a lot higher than it was one week ago, which was higher than it was weeks before that. Twilight's presence, as I've said, is the only thing keeping the world from dyin' sooner. I've run the math: it's mostly her."

"The world is already in its death throes, and removing the Beacons from the calculations won't fix anything," Gilderoy continued, "but doing so will rebalance things to an acceptable level so that Nihila can be countered, specifically by you. Twilight is powerful enough with the Light that she can destroy Nihila's physical form, once we find where it is that she's hiding. And you, Harmonia, would destroy her in the Dreaming."

Harmonia was silent for another long moment, then nodded. "The wisdom in thy words is quite profound. 'Tis another cruel irony that these Beacons that Silvertongue didst build hath prevented Nihila from rising up against us all for hundreds of years… but also protecteth her from me even now, as we speaketh here."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what we've been thinkin'," Winter huffed. "I'll give Silvertongue credit for doin' what he did and basically makin' work easier for us Chronomancers over all these years, but he messed around someplace where he shouldn't have and know we're all payin' for it."

Gilderoy laughed. "Ah, I'd avoid telling him that, Miss Glow. He might take offense that you're blaming him for the world's current predicament. Knowing him, he would argue—reasonably—that Nihila is at fault for it all in the first place. She started a war in the south and was banished north, where she built an army to destroy the south again, and after he stopped it, he had to build the Beacons to prevent her from continuing to do so."

"Psh, yeah yeah, whatever. What are you, his biggest fan now?"

"Hardly," Gilderoy grunted. "I despise him down to his core for what he's done to my people, but were it not for his actions, Nihila would have just forced somepony else to do it eventually. It does not mean that I forgive him for it, but it does mean that I would rather that it had been him than somepony without his… hmph, resolve."

"Is there no way that we might prevent such tragedy and save this world?" Harmonia asked. "To abandon it to its fate is… 'tis unthinkable."

"Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done about it," Winter sighed, shaking her head. "The plan is that after Nihila is destroyed, everythin' that can be moved will be moved."

"And the Dreaming? What is to become of the millions of souls there?"

Winter let out a breath. "I don't know. Chronomancer HQ is workin' on somethin' to make that work, but I honestly can't give ya an answer right now, and we can't afford to wait and see what they come up with before we start workin' on this. If we don't, then everything and everyone is going to just… cease to exist. The Void doesn't discriminate."

Harmonia tooked up at the ceiling in silence, eyes closed, clearly in deep, deep thought. Rarity could sympathize; what would Celestia have done if something like this had happened? Or Luna? She knew what Twilight would do, though: put absolutely everything she could into saving as many creatures as possible. Which is pretty much what she was doing. Rarity just hoped that Harmonia was the same.

"If thou wishest for me to assist thee with bringing an end to Nihila so that we might save the creatures of this world… then thou shalt hath my favor," Harmonia said, giving Winter and Gilderoy a firm nod. "For over two thousand years I hath been a goddess of peace and harmony among all living things. I abhor senseless conflict, for 'tis a thing that only breeds pain and misery.

"But in ages past, my sister and I were joined together in symbiosis. As the Goddess of Prosperity, I didst not loathe my sister's Adversity, for one cannot appreciate Prosperity when one hath no obstacles to overcome, just as one cannot overcome Adversity if one doth not have the promise of Prosperity on their horizon.

"Nihila is not a part of this balance, this symbiosis. She is a parasite. She only seeketh death, destruction, despair, and she seeketh not to deliver these things to mortals to strengthen them, to ignite their inner flames, to drive them forward. Revenge is a repulsive concept to me, but Justice is not. If my Light will deliver this Justice to her, then it is my Light that thou shalt have."

Twilight smiled. "Excellent! Then all we need to do is set up a time for you to deactivate the southern Beacon and we can proceed with the plan, right?" She looked at Gilderoy. "You said you just need to fiddle with something inside the Beacon itself to allow her to do that? Sounds easy enough."

"'Tis not that simple, Princess Twilight," said Ambassador Zultan, shaking his head. "Though Harmona hath given her blessings to this plan, the Beacon doth reside in Zeb'ra'den, and as such is under the protection of all zebras, everywhere. We art sworn to guard it from any who would do it harm; Warrior Princess Zarya swore an oath to Lord Silvertongue, and that oath standeth strong even today."

"And that's where you come in, right? You're gonna help us negotiate with the zebras to allow us to go through with this?"

"'Tis our hope, aye, but even with Harmonia's blessings, thou wouldst still need to convinceth the zebra court to alloweth this action. Harmonia's word is not enough unless she couldst speaketh to us via a zebra Warden, of which there are none."

Rarity spoke up here; she'd learned about this from Zyra. "Remember, darling, the zebras believe that Lord Silvertongue never officially gave up his position as Harmonia's Warden, and they're under the belief that all of Harmonia's Wardens since then have been frauds. Even if Warden Mémoire were to come with us and channel her as he's doing now, it wouldn't help."

Harmona nodded at Rarity. "Yes, and 'tis a shame that they wouldst do so, but I hath never faulted them for their beliefs and I doth not do so now. 'Tis not in my nature to correct their beliefs, for 'twould be a violation of their freedoms."

Zultan bowed before Harmonia. "My Lady, I thankth thee for thy blessings, and beg for thy forgiveness for the follies of my people."

"There is no need for that, my zebra comrade," Harmonia said with a smile. "Thy freedom is a gift, and to useth it so is a blessing of its own regardless of whether thou art 'right' or 'wrong'. I wouldst not taketh that from thee any more than I wouldst rob a bird of its ability to fly, or a fish its ability to swim.

"'Tis in thy nature to doubt and question thy pony neighbors, and 'tis that facet of thy people that didst help oppose Nihila in ages past. My sister wouldst embrace thy people were she to see what thou hast become, and shalt likely do so should this 'merging' succeed. Thy warrior culture wouldst appeal to her."

"'Twould be an honor to be blessed so by Lady Pandemonia, a goddess given flesh. Thy words bringeth me hope, My Lady."

Twilight let out a breath. "So even with your direct blessings, straight from your… mouth, I guess. Your Warden's mouth? Whatever. Even with that, we're still stuck playing politics." She sighed and ran a hoof over her face. "Looks like it's time to put all my work as Princess Twilight to the test."

Blackburn grunted a laugh. "Will help, of course. Have good relations with King Zaratite and his kingdom, can assist with negotiations."

"As best we can, at least," Lockwood agreed. "Frankly I'm a little nervous trying to convince the zebras to abandon an oath that they've been sticking to for hundreds of years, but hey, we managed to talk them into speaking plainly with non-zebras. I figure that's gotta stand for something, right?"

Zultan nodded. "And I shalt lendeth whatever assistance I can, as will Sir Zircon once I speaketh with him on the matter. Though he hath given up his claim to the throne, distant though that might be, he is still a favored nephew of His Majesty. 'Twould be a boon to have him at our back."

"Yeah, I think that we'll need all the help we can get," Twilight breathed, looking around at the various speakers. "Thanks everyone. Sorry if I seem nervous, I just… I never thought that the fate of an entire world would ever come down to whether or not I can negotiate well at a royal court."

"Yeah, we're used to fighting bad guys to save the world and stuff," said Rainbow, punching the air. "No courts, no politics, no negotiations. Just us, our wits, and our hooves. Booyah!"

"And we're usually making friends with the baddies afterwards!" Pinkie added, pulling in Fluttershy for a hug. "Like Fluttershy's bestest buddy Discord, isn't that right? He was a baddie, and now he's not, 'cause Shyshy here has tea with him twice a week!"

"I don't see how that's relevant," Fluttershy peeped. "It doesn't sound like Nihila's the sort to, um… want to be our friend."

"Yeah," Applejack said, tilting her hat over her eyes. "If someone like Queen Chrysalis didn't wanna take Starlight's offer, I don't think Nihila's gonna ours. Some folks just wanna watch the world burn, y'know."

Harmonia smiled at all of those present. "Then 'twould seem that thou art ready for the next stage of thy plan. I bid thee good luck in thine endeavors. Shouldst thou needeth mine aid, I shalt do what I can to assist thee, difficult though that might be."

Her eyes then locked onto Rarity's for a moment; it felt like the goddess was looking right into her soul, but in a sort of… comforting way. She did the same for Blackburn, oddly enough.

"Thank you, Harmonia," Twilight said with a bow. She then turned to the group. "Okay, everyone, let's head back to Silver Manor and get some rest before tomorrow. We might as well get moving as soon as we can, right?"

As the group started to move, Harmonia—who had yet to abandon her Warden's form just yet—got the group's attention with a flash of light. "Hold, friends. Before thy departure, might I giveth one more blessing upon thy group?"

Twilight turned and tilted her head. "Oh. Um, sure."

Harmonia then stepped forward with Mémoire's body… towards Blackburn and Rarity, as they were standing next to one another. Rarity felt her entire body grow pleasantly warm and fuzzy in such close proximity to the goddess, even though she was in this immaterial state, like she'd just sunk down into a nice, hot bath. With scented bubbles and candles, and a glass of fine wine at her side.

"'Tis rare for me to hath such an opportunity in this form, but to thee I must offer my congratulations," Harmonia said, smiling and looking between the two mares. "Bringing new life into the world, even in circumstances such as these, is a greater blessing than anything I couldst ever achieve. May my Light blesseth thee with strong, healthy foals."

Blackburn laughed and nudged a blushing Lockwood in the side. "New experience, confirmation from Harmonia herself. Will be quite the story to tell."

Rarity, eyes wide, looked at Blackburn and Lockwood in surprise. "C-confirmation? You mean… I… we… is it true?"

"Doubt the words of a goddess? Told you potion had guaranteed effectiveness."

"N-no, of course not. It's just… but it hasn't even been that long since—"

Blackburn tilted her head and smiled. "Would expect a goddess to see such things before we could, hmm?"

"I… suppose so, yes." Rarity let out a breath. "This certainly was not something that I was expecting to learn about today." She bowed to Harmonia; Blackburn did the same. "Thank you, Harmonia, for your blessings."

Harmonia nodded. "Thou art welcome, my little ponies. Now, I must depart back into the Dreaming to prepare for my coming role. May the Light guide thee forward."

In another flash of light, Harmonia's form vanished from around Mémoire's body, and the very mortal Warden stumbled back, woosy and weary. He blinked and looked amongst the group, then headed back up the platform and sat at his desk without a word. Nopony really had anything to say to him, honestly, and there was nothing he could really add that Harmonia herself hadn't already.

It seemed like a rather thankless job, from their perspective.

Not that Rarity was paying him much attention. She was paying much more attention to the fact that all of her friends were staring at her in utter shock and surprise.

It came as no surprise at all that Pinkie was the first to react, gasping so loudly that she might as well have just about have sucked all of the air out of the room. "You're pregnant?! What?! When?! Where?! Who?! How?!" A pause. "Wait. Not how. I know how." She grabbed Rarity's face. "But all the other questions! Answers! Give! No particular order!"

"Easy, Pinks," Rainbow chuckled, pulling Pinkie off of Rarity before giving Rarity a look of confused approval. "But yeah, what she said. The heck? Pregnant? You? I have all of the questions too."

Rarity chuckled nervously and cleared her throat, her eyes darting to Lockwood and Blackburn briefly. "Ahem. Well, this is quite a pickle, isn't it? I was going to tell everypony the truth eventually, but I was just waiting for the right time. With all the world-threatening troubles going about, though, I guess I just figured that now wasn't the right time at all. But now here we are."

"It sounded like you didn't know you were pregnant, though," Twilight noted, eyebrow raised. "So what were you going to tell us? Nothing bad I hope?"

"No no, nothing bad at all. I was going to inform everypony that I'm in a… rather unique relationship, actually," Rarity said with an anxious grin. She tilted her head towards Lockwood and Blackburn. "With them. The three of us are, um… together."

Her friends—sans Fluttershy, who already knew—glanced, shocked, at the royal couple. "What?" was the in-unison reaction.

Lockwood chuckled and rubbed the back of his head; Rarity sympathized, since the three of them had been planning on a less dramatic reveal of all this, and here the poor married stallion was staring down the five best friends of a mare he'd gotten pregnant while in a secret relationship. There were all sorts of bad ways to interpret that.

"Ahh… yeah," he said. "We were kinda trying to keep it secret until the world was saved and stuff, since we didn't want to distract anypony or make them worry about our personal matters. But, uh… hmm. Ta da?"

"We adore Rarity," Blackburn said with a smile in her direction, draping her wing over Rarity's back. "Invited her to be a part of our family. She accepted, has been with us since the night of Havoc's wedding."

Gray, who hadn't been part of the conversation and who Rarity honestly forgot was present at all, let out a loud laugh and put Lockwood in a headlock, immediately setting to work on tousling his mane. "So that's why you two were so insistent. I thought it was a little weird, but now I get it. Havoc's gonna get a kick outta this when I tell her."

Blackburn then indicated the bracelet on Rarity's leg; until now, Rarity had been telling everypony that it was just a fancy piece of jewelry, a gift from a friend and nothing more. "Bracelet not just jewelry, but indicator of our relationship."

"Aye, a unity trinket," said Zultan with a nod and a smile to Rarity. "I didst suspect as much when first I didst layeth eyes upon it. 'Tis an icon of our culture, a symbol of love and camaraderie. Forgiveth me for not addressing thee properly, Lady Rarity, but I didst not know for certain. It gladdens me that I didst not spoil the surprise."

Rarity nodded and smiled back. "That's quite alright, Ambassador. And thank you for your discretion. We really weren't trying to hide anything, just… waiting for the right moment. This isn't exactly orthodox in our world, you understand."

Applejack held up her hooves and took a harsh breath. "Wait wait wait, e'rybody just hush up an' hol' on a doggone minute here. Rarity, lemme get this straight:you're tellin' me you're sleepin' around wit' a married stallion? That you're havin' his foal?"

Rarity rolled her eyes; she knew Applejack would start off with the judgmental questions. "Yes, Applejack, I am. And I'm sleeping with his wife, too. All three of us. Together. It's a mutual three-way relationship that we're all equal partners in, and nopony is being hurt by this in any way, shape or form. And yes, I am having his foal. And so is Blackburn."

"You're a throuple!" Pinkie said with a sagely nod. "It's like a couple, but with three. A throuple! Just a throuple of good-looking ponies having a good time and being in looove! It's a funny word. Go on, say it, give it a couple of goes on the tongue. Throuple. Thhhhrouple. Throu-ple. Really roll those 'R's."

Fluttershy shook her head at Rarity, but she was smiling as she stepped over to whisper, "You didn't mention this part of the relationship, by the way. The, um… foal-having aspect. I'm happy for you."

Rarity let out a breath. "Yes, well, that part was supposed to be a surprise to you, too," she whispered back. "And thank you."

Rainbow sauntered up to Lockwood and prodded him in the chest. "Alright, bucko, I'm only gonna say this once: you knocked up my friend, so you'd better be ready to take responsibility, got it? 'Cause if I find out you're being shady about all this, you know that you can't outrun me."

"Lockwood is the last stallion that you'd ever need to tell that to, Rainbow," Rarity scoffed before Lockwood could even defend himself; he didn't need to, not if she could help it. "Believe me, we've already talked about it, and we're planning to arrange things once the worlds are merged."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Then what are we even having a discussion about it for?" She gave Rarity a big smile. "Rarity, congratulations on… well, everything, from what it sounds like. I know you and I know that you know what you're doing, so I can't possibly be anything else but happy for you. However, I think that we can all save the celebrations and such for after we save the world."

"I couldn't agree more, darling," Rarity said, returning the smile. "That was the plan after all. Incidentally, if we're all done focusing on me?"

Twilight blinked, then gasped. "Oh! Right." She turned to Blackburn and Lockwood and gave them each a polite bow. "Congratulations to you too, Your Majesties. Sorry, got caught up in all the excitement."

Blackburn chuckled and nodded back to Twilight. "Please. Save all this for later. Would like to return to Silver Manor, prepare for dinner, sleep." With a smirk and a nudge to Rarity, she added, "Eating for two now, after all."

Chapter Twenty-Four: Rhyme

As part of her role as an Overseer of the Shadow Candidate Program, Red Velvet had her own office on its own floor just above the Shadow Facility of Pandora Tower. Yes, Dawn was aware that Velvet never referred to herself as "Overseer" in any capacity, but that was the truth, and as such Velvet benefitted from the perks of such a position; Havoc didn't have her own office when she lived here, after all, and neither did Gray.

It was this office that Dawn had deigned to visit this fine morning, not long before noon and thus just prior to typical lunchtime hours. Dawn was vaguely aware of Velvet's personal schedule, mainly that she operated as if she were a school principal or guidance counselor and as such was "on duty" during normal schooling hours, and would also take lunch at normal lunchtime hours as well.

It was the perfect time to strike.

She arrived at the door to her sister's office and gave it a few knocks, then waited. She heard a slight clamor from the other side before Velvet's voice called out "Come in!", at which point Dawn did just that. Velvet's wide smile melted almost immediately into a much more neutral expression once she saw that it was Dawn entering the room; she'd been expecting a student, perhaps?

"Dawn? What're you doin' here?" Velvet asked, tilting her head and steepling her hooves on her desk. "You never visit me in person. In fact I don't think you've ever been in my office whatsoever in… wow, all six years since it got built. Amazing."

Dawn nodded and took a seat in the chair opposite Velvet. "Indeed I have not, a fact that I am rectifying as you can plainly see. I apologize if I am intruding at an unfortunate time, but I wanted my visit to be a surprise."

"Oh. Is this like a surprise inspection or something? 'Cause Curie told me you're not allowed to do that, and you know I'm gonna tell Curie all about it if that's what this is."

"No, sister, that is not the intended purpose of this visit. I have no desire to 'check up' on you or your progress with the Shadow Project, as I have judged from your reports that you are handling matters to an outstanding degree."

Velvet blinked. "Wow, really? 'Outstanding'? Not just 'adequate' or something like that?"

Dawn smiled. "No. 'Adequate' would be woefully inaccurate, and frankly insulting to your substantial efforts."

"…huh. Oookay."

Dawn paused, then let out a breath. "And before you ask for confirmation, yes, I am Golden Dawn, your sister, and—"

"Oh, you don't need to confirm it with me, sis. I can smell your blood from here, and you're one hundred percent genuine Golden Dawn. Curie can't change that much about her so it's not her in disguise, and you're not a robot if I can smell your blood."

"Excellent, then that eliminates the need for pointless presentations of proof."

Velvet nodded, then leaned back in her seat, setting one hoof onto her chair's armrest or below her desk, Dawn couldn't tell which. "Alright then, sis, you're really intruding on my lunch hour here, so what's this all about if you're not here to evaluate me?"

"If I might be forward and blunt about it, I wish to make amends for the unacceptable manner in which I have treated you and our sisters, amongst others," Dawn said with a nod, steepling her hooves under her chin. "With you, specifically, I have not treated you with the respect you deserve considering the strides that you have taken to ensure the Shadows are provided with exceptional livelihoods."

That gave Velvet pause. "Wait… what?"

"I understand that this might come as a shock to you given my past behavior—"

"No shit, ya think? What's the deal here, Dawn, are you dying or something? Is this just you trying to put things back together—things you broke—before you kick off? 'Cause I'd rather you be upfront about it and tell me if you're gonna kick it. I'm down to help you finish your bucket list."

Dawn bit her tongue slightly so that she didn't just immediately start blurting out everything; Curaçao hadn't told Velvet or Insipid—or anypony in the tower, for that matter—about the whole "world-ending disaster" that was coming their way and had made it abundantly clear to Dawn that she was not to do the same, invoking "big sister" rights to do it.

Dawn still didn't know why Curaçao was being so insistent about it, but she wasn't about to break her promise.

"I assure you that I am not suffering from any manner of terminal illness that is influencing my decisions or agenda," Dawn said carefully, knowing full well that the statement would be picked apart to death by somepony like Curaçao or Blackburn and hoping that it would satisfy Velvet.

It did. "Alright, so this is just you having some sort of enlightenment or something? Cool, okay… I'm listening." She scooted her chair forward, but still kept one hoof under her desk; her eyes even darted down briefly for some reason. "Go on then, keep going."

Dawn took another breath. "Yes, well… I was hoping that we might meet together for lunch to discuss things. If I have not already made it perfectly clear, I regret my actions and wish to apologize for the manner in which I have treated you over the years in the hopes of making amends."

"Hmm." Velvet shook her head. "Dawn, I'll be honest, if you think we're gonna solve years of you being a bitch just by going out to lunch and then pretending everything is sunshine and lollipops between us, you're delusional. That kind of thing might fly with Insipid, but it won't work with me."

"With… did Insipid inform you of our bonding time together recently? I specifically asked her not to…"

Velvet tilted her head. "Wait, you've already done this kinda thing with Insipid?"

Dawn paused, then sighed and nodded; she immediately regretted her assumption. "Yes, I have. I met with her over dinner a few nights ago to discuss our problems, and she caught me up on a number of things in her life that I have not been partial to due to my neglectful attitude and disrespectful behavior. Things are… improved, between us."

"Huh. Well, how about that." Velvet bit her lip and nodded rapidly. "That's good. Very good. Yeah, alright, so you're trying to go about fixing things with us, I get it. But like I said, a little lunch date ain't gonna cut it with me, sis. See, it's not just me that you've been disrespecting all these years, but it's the kids, too."

"I suppose that follows, yes. I have even been made aware of the fact that I have served as a substandard influence on the few Shadows that I had been assigned to mentor. I am attempting to make amends in that regard as well."

"Is that why you got permission from me first before letting Sunspire and Serendipity head south?

"Indeed. The experience will be good for them, as it will provide them with a unique experience that they would otherwise lack access to. In case I did not make it apparent during our brief discussion then, they requested permission from me to embark on this metaphorical 'field trip'; it was not my idea."

Velvet nodded and let out a breath; she seemed distracted, likely because she was missing lunch. "Right right right, okay. So, I think if you want to make it up to me and the kids, you oughta start doing what our other sisters are doing, or what they did while they were living here at least: teach some extracurricular courses."

Dawn tapped her chin. "Extracurriculars? I was cognitive of the fact that a number of such courses were being offered, such as Curaçao's language courses, but I am otherwise unaware of the details."

"Well, for another example, Insipid teaches some high-society courses to a few of the fillies that are interested in fashion and stuff. Y'know, things like how to properly apply makeup, matching up colors for outfits, and how to host a tea party. Lots of it feels like really girly stuff, sure, but I think that's just 'cause all the students signing up so far are fillies."

"I see. Insipid definitely would serve as an extraordinary instructor in that sense; I witnessed her behavior at a fine dining establishment and she was the pinnacle of class. I said as much to her, as it was another admirable quality that she possessed that I had been unaware of." Dawn tilted her head. "What extracurriculars do you teach, might I inquire?"

"Cooking classes mostly," Velvet said matter-of-factly. "I'm not as into baking as Pinkie is, but I love being in the kitchen. There's just something about handling all those ingredients with my own bare hooves that I enjoy, and I also get to teach the kids how to make certain recipes, how to handle equipment, yadda yadda yadda."

"You said 'mostly'. What else do you teach?"

"Oh, well, it's not so much an extracurricular course, but since I'm kinda like a guidance counselor for these kids, I offer my time to help them with their problems. It's gonna be really important over the next few years, lemme tell ya. Puberty's hitting our kids hard."

Dawn tilted her head the other way. "The students are currently experiencing puberty?"

"Oh, totally. Luckily their voices all cracked for the most part within the past year, but a few late bloomers can be found here and there. Other than that it's all the, y'know, growing up stuff." Velvet held up her hoof that was still above the desk. "And don't you worry, I keep it clean and professional. With the kids, I mean."

Dawn blinked, then sucked in a breath when the gears clicked. "Ah. Yes. I imagine that that particular stage of their development might present some problematic situations given their living conditions. Are you and Overseer Pedigree certain you can handle the potential fraternization concerns?"

Velvet licked her lips. "Oh, trust me, Pedigree's a professional. He's really, really good at what he does. Mmhmm…"

"I would be inclined to agree. The Overseer certainly seems to have an exceptional handle on things."

"And I'm not so bad myself, I'd like to think. Anyway, we both know that it's mostly inevitable that as the kids get older they're gonna probably hook up together, so we're just gonna make sure everypony's responsible about it. That's all we really can do unless you want us to tell the kids not to have sex at all, but I'd feel like a hypocrite and a half."

"Hmm… I imagine so. Regardless, so long as you are confident in your ability to prevent any unwanted consequences, I will trust your judgement."

"Thanks, sis."

Dawn nodded firmly; the matter was settled. "So, if you are of the opinion that I should instruct the students in extracurriculars, which topic would you suggest I teach? I must admit I lack the specialities that you or our sisters have; I am purely academic, but that is already the intent of their education."

Velvet leaned back again, closing her eyes in thought; her ear was twitching for some reason. "Hmmm… literature courses."

"Literature?"

"Yeah. Literature." Velvet's eyes opened again. "We don't have any courses in the main curriculum that focus on literature. Y'know, novels and stuff?"

Dawn rubbed her chin and nodded. "Literature… hmm. Would that not entail the interpretation of the intended meanings behind the authors' words in their novels? Is that something that you believe the students would find both interesting and educational?"

"Sure, why not? They teach that kinda stuff in the big league universities in Arcadia. Orrr, ooh, here's a thought: an etymology course!" Velvet brightened immediately, sitting up straight again and bumping into her desk awkwardly. "Yeah! That's it! Etymology!"

"Etymology, as in the study of words?"

"Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah! You're practically a walking, talking thesaurus, Dawn, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. You know all sorts of words and what they mean and where they come from and stuff. You'd be perfect!"

Dawn blinked and leaned back in her own seat to consider this. "That… that makes a certain degree of sense, yes. Etymology is even a particular topic with which I have a fascination, particularly the origins of words in Common Equish. Would students really have an interest in this subject matter?"

"I mean, I dunno, but I'm sure you could bring something to the table to drum up interest. Maybe focus on words that kids would like and stuff? Like… slang words, maybe. Or other things that they're learning about in school, y'know? I can think of a few kids that might be interested in that stuff."

Dawn nodded; she was actually coming around to this, and she could hardly believe it had been Velvet's idea instead of her own. "Yes, that would be acceptable. What sort of topics are they currently learning about?"

Velvet balked for a moment. "I'd have to ask Pedigree about the specific topics in the mainline courses, but he's currently… occupied with something else. Totally indisposed. Buuut, I did just teach the kids about making all kinds of different sandwiches in cooking class? Sooo… I dunno, lay it on me: tell me about the word 'sandwich'."

"Ah. Hmm. It is a peculiar word, actually, as everypony in the world knows its definition, and it can even be accurately translated into other languages. However, it has no etymological origin that anypony has ever been able to discern. As far as etymologists are concerned it is a nonsense word that entered into our lexicon somehow."

Velvet blinked. "Wait, so… nopony knows where the word 'sandwich' comes from?"

Dawn shook her head. "Oh, there are theories. The prevailing one is that it was named after somepony, but there is no specific individual that has ever been able to lay claim to the origin, and yet we know that the word also exists in other worlds as well."

"Oh yeah. Pinkie has a friend named Cheese Sandwich in her world. But he's, like, her age, and sandwiches have been around longer than him." Velvet shook her head, her free hoof—one was still underneath the desk—over her mouth. "Wow. Sandwiches are a puzzle stuffed into a mystery and wrapped in an enigma."

"Indeed." Dawn then rose from her seat. "You have thoroughly convinced me of the benefit of such an extracurricular activity, sister, and I shall proceed with developing coursework immediately. Shall I contact Overseer Pedigree regarding a schedule?"

"Nah, I'll have him get in touch with you. He's busy at the moment, like I said."

"With what, exactly?"

Velvet bit her lip and… shuddered? "Mmm… eating. Lunch, I mean. Eating lunch."

Dawn nodded, though she was thoroughly confused by this point. "Ah. Then I will not disturb him. Would you happen to know when he might be finished?"

"P-Pretty soon, I hope."

Dawn blinked, then shrugged and made for the door. "While I find that answer horribly vague, I will accept it. Farewell, Velvet. I will be in touch."

~~~~~

Once Dawn left, Velvet started counting seconds to make sure she was gone. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five seconds seemed good enough.

She scooted her chair back and let out a loud breath. "Thank the stars. I thought she'd never leave." She glanced under her desk. "Sorry about that. When she knocked, I thought it was just a student. You know that I wouldn't have made you keep going down there if it was."

Pedigree grumbled as he made his way out from under her desk, adjusting his tie in the process and clearly out of breath. "Well, that makes me feel a little better. Still, I don't think Miss Dawn would appreciate knowing what was going on just a few feet away from her, right under her nose."

"Psh, maybe she would've learned a thing or two. She might be trying to be nicer but she'll always have a stick up her ass." Velvet leaned over and grabbed Pedigree's tie to pull him nose-to-nose. "And don't tell me it didn't turn you on just a little bit, 'cause I'll know you're lying. I can hear the change in your… hmm hmm, blood flow."

"Then I won't say anything," Pedigree grunted, his lips curling in a slight smirk. "Really though, you're lucky it was Miss Dawn just now and not one of your other sisters. Missus Curaçao would've caught us immediately."

"Eh. I could deal with a lecture from Curie if she wanted to get mad about it. She'd probably get jealous that she was upstairs giving the same to Shroud." Velvet pushed Pedigree away and straightened out her skirt. "So, you got to hear that whole thing. What's your thought on it? You think Dawn's serious about this?"

"I won't pretend to know her better than you do, Vel, but she did seem legitimate about everything. Mind you that I'm basing this entirely on her voice alone since I didn't get to see her facial expressions, seeing as I was stuffed under your desk against my will."

Velvet let out a mock gasp of offense. "Are you insinuating that that's my fault?"

He rolled his eyes. "Vel, I'm serious. I think she was very much being sincere about wanting to repair her relationship with you, and with our students. And by the way, this etymology course idea is just brilliant. Miss Dawn will enjoy teaching it, and so long as she sticks with the topics at hoof, it'll help the kids learn."

"You think the kids are actually gonna wanna take those courses, though?"

"The smarter students will, for sure, and I think I can work things out to help hint to the kids that they should at least give it a shot." He chuckled. "A shame that Sunspire isn't here. He'd sign up for those courses in a heartbeat. Probably Serendipity too."

"Oh, I don't have aaany doubt about that," Velvet snickered. "But hey, y'know what, it's probably just fine that they're not here anyway and get to go on a romantic southern vacation together. Ah, young love. Makes me wish I'd ever actually been that young and could experience all those things for myself."

"Trust me, Vel, you should be glad you got to skip puberty."

"Maybe. I guess I'm just disappointed that I never got to really experience my first teenage crush, my first kiss, or popping my cherry." She walked by him, heading for the door, and bopped him in the nose with her tail as she went. "I suppose that I'll just have to settle for you. Lucky for me, you've got a teenage colt's libido. Rawr."

She heard him gulp. "Ah… right. Ahem. Should I head back to my office and give Miss Dawn that call now? You know how she is; she won't want to wait long, even if she's trying to be nice."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." She turned and gave him a sultry little grin as she grabbed his tie. "Aaand, I think it's only fair that since I forced you to… service me under my desk while I talked with her, that you should get to… return the favor? Maybe see how long I can hold my breath?"

His cheeks reddened, and she could see him try to debate refusing the offer, but she knew that he wouldn't. "You are insatiable, my dear," he breathed as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Flatterer," she replied as she accepted his lips on hers.

*****

The traveling caravan arrived in Zeb'ra'den in the early evening on the fourth day of travel. The only road from Utopia to Zeb'ra'den was not a straight path, unfortunately, so unless one wanted to walk off the beaten path to save time, this was the best case scenario. Twilight was not about to suggest that they do anything of the sort. Forcing so many ponies to trudge through ice and snow felt unnecessarily dangerous.

Twilight had had the far south described to her a few times over the journey to Utopia, and had done some reading on the subject before they'd all left, but it just wasn't the same as seeing it with her own eyes.

Despite it being the last month of the southern summer, the snows of the zebra lands were still plentiful, and the sky was constantly overcast with dark clouds that sprinkled white powder at almost all hours of the day. It was a pleasant snow, at least, not too heavy and not at all accompanied by harsh winds; every day they had traveled felt like a trek through the outskirts of Ponyville during Winter Wrap-Up, only without the singing.

As such, everyone in the group had dressed warmly, though that sort of went without saying. For the most part all of the jackets and sweaters were rather generic, except Rarity's of course, though Rarity had at least worked to add personal touches here and there. Twilight's heavy jacket had been adjusted to fit better over her wings so that she wasn't uncomfortable.

Twilight was surprised that they almost never saw the sun during the entire trek south. Once they were in zebra territory proper, it was as if the sun magically knew that their days were supposed to be shorter and that nights were supposed to be longer, even if that didn't make any sense. This was an effect that Twilight knew affected certain parts of her world, but to see it every day in this particular region was simply fascinating.

She lamented the fact that even if she studied the effect, it would likely not be replicated during the merger.

And then there was Zeb'ra'den itself, which reminded Twilight of a strange mix between the Crystal Empire back home and the old medieval-style fortresses that still stood from ages past, when ponies like Clover the Clever still walked the earth. From the Crystal Empire came the locale—and yes, Twilight was well aware that the Empire was not always covered in snow—as well as the huge, centralized layout of the city. The aesthetic was definitely old-world style, though.

It also shared two qualities with New Pandemonium City, ironically, with the Beacon being the obvious one. The other was a massive wall that surrounded the city for miles, far enough that Twilight could just barely see its curve. The wall was constructed of thick, black obsidian, and the structural supports were coated with a layer of solid gold. Massive banners depicting the Zeb'ra'den emblem—a white circle with black stripes—were draped the wall alongside a giant gateway.

While not as tall as the wall surrounding New Pandemonium, nor as wide, it was clear where that city had gotten the idea. The wall was much higher than anything Twilight expected could be constructed without the aid of technology or unicorn magic; how the zebras did it, she didn't know, but it was impressive.

Outside the wall was where the commoners lived, not in proper buildings like the zebras who lived inside the wall, but in simple thatched-roof huts of clay and wood with a scant few made of stone, all of which were large enough to house a family comfortably but small enough to not take up valuable space. Twilight didn't quite like the idea of so many zebras living outside the walls—it indicated a clear, perhaps unfair class division—but she was not about to start questioning the cultures and traditions of other races.

Cooking fires smoldered outside of nearly every home in the village, lending credence to Zircon's estimate of arriving by dinnertime. Zebra mares tended to vegetables in simmering pots of stew, and they were all cooking stew. None of these common zebras paid the ponies in the entourage with much attention, and some even watched with either disdain or disinterest.

Zircon, though—and not Zultan, interestingly—attracted a great deal of respect and attention. Some zebras bowed low in his presence, others merely gave respectful nods. Some stallions his age approached him and cheered his name. Younger zebras, both fillies and colts alike, watched him with great, awed interest.

Mares, on the other hoof, didn't so much swoon as they made great displays of their figures in an attempt to attract his attention. It was rather embarrassing to watch, from Twilight's perspective, particularly since he merely waved respectfully back but was otherwise not distracted by their displays. Twilight suppose that he was a knight, so he was likely a mare's "ticket" into the aristocracy

Luckily, they didn't need to stay long outside the walls and so Twilight didn't have long to stew about the cultural differences.

The caravan made their way to the city gates, and they were all let in without a single ounce of trouble, only a nonverbal greeting from Zultan to the trio of big, burly guards standing in their way. The inside of the city was just as incredible as the outside, with great buildings constructed of the same obsidian and gold. They weren't tall by any means, but they all appeared to be either homes or businesses that could hold anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred zebras easily.

From inside the city it was easier than ever to see the Beacon, and it was abundantly clear that Pandora Tower's massive size was not some sort of exaggeration. The southern Beacon, however, did not generate a great beam of energy into the air that changed its color and composition. At least, not one Twilight could see; she could sense its power though, and theorized that it was simply purifying the air of the entire southern continent so that it was always clean and peaceful.

Supposedly, the royal palace had been built around the Beacon so that it could maintain its centralized location within the city. Or rather, from what Twilight had heard from Zultan en route, the palace had been remodeled to accommodate the Beacon in a courtyard that was then connected to the palace, and the palace was expanded to encompass it. Because of course the royal zebra family would want their seat of power to be directly intertwined with such a culturally significant monument.

The zebras inside the city were cut of a completely different cloth from the ones outside. If getting inside the city required getting past heavily-armed and armored guards, Twilight could only guess that these were the zebra elite, their upper class. They certainly seemed well-mannered, well-educated, well-groomed, and well-spoken just from casual observation. They paid the caravan the same attention that the zebras outside did, though, only with more politeness.

Twilight observed one thing in particular about their speaking habits that perplexed her, though: the meters that they spoke in. She'd heard Zultan and Zircon speak to one another and knew that zebras did so in rhyme and meter; Zultan spoke in iambic tetrameter while Zircon spoke in iambic pentameter. Some zebras hereabouts spoke like they did, but others spoke in other forms.

They all still rhymed, though, and she noticed that in conversation the zebras seemed to improvise and create the verses in tandem, meeting one another's meters and rhymes so that it sounded pleasing to the ear. A pair of zebras haggling over an elaborate cape spoke loudly enough to provide a good example:

"How much doth this cape cost?"

"In bits, fifteen. 'Tis a fine cape."

"Aye, 'tis fit for a queen."

Having known Zecora as long as she did nowadays, Twilight had gotten used to her zebra friend's unique speech pattern, but these zebras of this other world were something else entirely. She was immensely relieved that not only did the zebras now speak with ponies in plain speech—Old Equish language aside—but that she didn't need to try and speak in rhyme and meter in return.

She was going to have to buy Blackburn a gift to thank her for making that happen, perhaps a beer since the queen was supposedly fond of alcohol. Or… rather not, no, nevermind, that was an inappropriate gift now. She'd have to think of something else to get Blackburn. Rarity might know what the queen's favorite food was, or could at least discreetly ask Lockwood about it and pass it along.

Speaking of Rarity, Twilight was still giddy over the news. Rarity was the first of her close friends that was going to have a foal! It was so exciting; she was already putting together plans and ideas on how to celebrate when they all got home. Rarity herself seemed glad that she didn't have to hide the relationship that led to it anymore, and was now very openly engaging with the other two-thirds of her… what did Pinkie call it? Throuple?

Once the caravan reached the royal palace proper, Twilight had to marvel at the creativity of whoever had built the thing. Like the other buildings around the city, it was built primarily of black obsidian and solid gold, but it wasn't uniform or symmetrical at all. Other materials, such as silver, iron, bronze, and various gemstones, were spread across different, unique parts of the structure in entirely different ways to form oddly-shaped symbols and patterns.

The caravan stopped, and Twilight and the others were all used to the routine by now, which entailed them all hopping out of their carriages, watching as stewards and servants approached and grabbed luggage to take inside, and then waiting for their hosts to greet and welcome them to the city. There were a few gawkers looking at Gilderoy, but it didn't stop anyzebra from working.

Oddly, it was Zultan who served the purpose of greeting and welcoming the party. "Guests, friends, I welcome thee to Zeb'ra'den, the Jewel of the Frozen South, the Crystal Upon the Southern Crown. 'Tis mine honor to welcome thee into my home.

"I hath sent word ahead to the royal court, and rooms hath already been arranged, but I regret that we hath arrived too soon for the dinner feast; 'twould seem that Sir Zircon hath navigated us here too quickly, far too quickly. A shame, as now we must wait to filleth our bellies with the finest zebra cuisine."

Zircon barked out a laugh. "'Tis rare for zebras to complain of seeing Zeb'ra'den again. But if thou must maketh a fuss, invoketh not the rest of us."

Zultan ignored the knight. "As guests of mine, thou art welcome to wander our city's streets if thou wishest not to remaineth here in the palace. 'Twill not be long before the feast is ready, however, and 'twould be folly not to be here on time; His Majesty himself shalt be in attendance."

"So if we want to go exploring, we need to be back by dinnertime, got it," said Rainbow with a nod; it was a blunt, but helpful, summary, and Twilight was impressed that Rainbow had understood all of what Zultan had said.

"Aye, 'tis the gist of my spiel," Zultan said. "The feast shalt begin at half-til high moons." A pause, and he cleared his throat. "Ah, which wouldst sit at roughly seven o'clock, I believe, in the other southern territories. The moons rise at your two o'clock, and 'high moons' is midnight. 'Tis how we doth measure time here in the frozen south."

Winter tilted her head slightly and made some calculations in her head; she didn't need her watch to precisely measure time, something that all Chronomancers were apparently capable of. "Right then, we've got a little more than an hour in that case. Everyone better be sure to keep track."

"If we can use the moons as a measurement, then it should be easy to do that just by looking at the sky," Twilight noted; she couldn't be sure, but were there more stars in the sky now that they were further south?

"What're y'all thinkin' 'bout doin' while we wait?" Applejack asked. "Sounds ta me like we'd all better be here fer this here feast, y'know, even me, but I figure some of y'all might wanna check somethin' out in particular 'fore we chow down."

Blackburn shook her head and started walking towards the palace proper. "I have too many things to think about, and to be honest I'm already familiar with the city. It's probably best if I try to make contact with some of the local lords to ease our transition later during the negotiations. We can't talk business during the feast."

Some of the group just looked at Blackburn like she'd spoken gibberish; they were the ones that didn't know about the negotiation the queen had made in the past.

"What?" A pause. "Oh. Right. In Zeb'ra'den, I'm forbidden from speaking as I do elsewhere as part of my agreement with His Majesty King Zaratite so that the zebras will speak plainly to all of you," she said with a smile. "You're welcome."

"Oh, good," Rainbow said flatly. "For a minute there I thought a changeling had snuck into the group, 'cause you were talking mad weird. Weird for you, I mean. 'Cause you normally talk weird, so you talking normal is weird for you."

"Hmm. It's probably best if you don't talk to His Majesty. Ever," Blackburn said with a coy smirk. "You might just cause a diplomatic incident."

"Hey, that's her middle name!" quipped Pinkie with a coy grin of her own. "Rainbow Diplomatic Incident Dash!"

Blackburn tilted her head towards the palace, and Lockwood and an excited Bluebolt followed along, the former with a sleepy Fireglow on his back, as did Gadget—not Crossfire, though, as he was off-duty for the evening from Twilight's understanding.

She looked to Rarity and wordlessly gestured for her to do the same, but Rarity shook her head. "If you don't mind, my dear, I wanted to go off with Zyra for a moment. This is her homeland, after all, and I asked her to show me around a little. I figure that since we have some time before this feat begins, we can at least make one stop."

"That sounds like a good idea," Lockwood said with a grin. "Where were you planning on heading?"

"The Temple of Layk," Zyra said, bowing her head just slightly. "I haven't seen anyzebra from my old Sisterhood in so long, and Lady Rarity has asked me so much about them that I felt it best to simply introduce her, if I can."

"What a wonderful idea," Blackburn said. "We'll see you two at dinner then." She then gestured for the rest of the family to follow her into the palace, which they did, rather like a row of ducks.

"We should probably do the same and just stick around here," Gray suggested to Flathoof. "I'll be honest, I want a little nap before we get to eating anything. I couldn't nap in these stupid carriages, what with all the bumping and shaking all the time. Should probably put Rosewater down for a nap, too."

"Sounds fine to me," Flathoof said. He gave a look to Crossfire and Pattycake. "You two gonna go exploring?"

Crossfire was about to reply, but Pattycake's hoof went over his mouth so that she could reply first. "Actually, we are. Well, technically we're not 'exploring', but we're not staying here with you guys."

"We're not?" asked Crossfire through his wife's hoof.

"Nope!" Pattycake pointed at Zyra and Rarity. "We're going with them to the Temple of Layk, yessiree."

Crossfire blinked. "We are? Why?"

"You'll see when we get there, sweetie. Now c'mon, get that gorgeous butt of yours moving, we don't have a lot of time to kill."

Crossfire just shrugged at Flathoof and Gray, and he, Pattycake, Rarity, and Zyra headed off down one of the nearby streets. Twilight had never pictured Pattycake to be interested in a temple, or to be great friends with Rarity and Zyra, so this seemed particularly odd. But who was she to ask questions?

Most everypony else—and Gilderoy—chose to stay behind at the palace for now; an hour wasn't a lot of time to really do much but look around at the sights for a few minutes and then walk back, unless you knew exactly where you were going, how to get there, and how long it would take to get back. Nobody wanted to risk being late for the feast, not if Zultan was making a big deal about it.

The exception was Zircon himself, who stepped over to Applejack while the others were all making their way inside. "Applejack, thou hast spun many a tale on the nature of thy family farm, this 'Sweet Apple Acres', and how much thou dost love the farm life. 'Tis a grave crime that we hath not had the time to visit any pony farms in our journeys this far."

"Uh, yeah, I ain't too happy 'bout it neither," Applejack said, removing her hat. "I finally get the chance ta see what a southern farm in this here neck o' the woods looks like but we gotta just keep movin' along. 'Tain't fair."

"Wouldst thou like to visit a farm here in Zeb'ra'den?"

Applejack tilted her head. "Y'all got farms 'round here?"

"Aye, that we do. Mayhap not the same as a farm that thou art accustomed to, but a farm nonetheless."

"Well shucks, that sounds like a bit o' fun, actually. Ya sure we got time?"

He nodded. "The larger ones art outside the walls, but there is a smaller one here within, and 'tis the one I shalt showeth to thee." He gestured with his head for her to follow along. "Come, 'tis close by. We shalt return before the feast hath been prepared."

Applejack straightened her hat and followed along. "Right behind ya, Mister Thou."

Twilight watched them go before she followed the rest of the group into the palace, then shrugged and let them be.

*****

Rarity followed after Zyra as they walked through the streets of Zeb'ra'den with Pattycake and Crossfire in tow, and she couldn't but notice that there seemed to be a lot of attention coming towards her group. Zebras of all sorts seemed to just pause momentarily to stare as they walked by, then went back to whatever it was that they'd been doing before; some zebras even seemed more transfixed than others, though there wasn't any sort of pattern to it.

"Zyra, darling, why are so many zebras glancing our way?" Rarity asked after watching a zebra baker very nearly drop a tray of bread because he was so distracted. "We didn't attract this much attention as we were riding along in the carriages earlier."

"That's because other than Sir Zircon and Ambassador Zultan, none of our traveling party was out in the open," Zyra said with a smile. "These zebras are not so accustomed to ponies walking through our streets. Though there is more to that, of course, as I doubt they would be so transfixed were it not for you."

Rarity tilted her head. "Me? What do you mean? I'm not attracting the wrong sort of attention, am I?"

"Oh no, not at all. It's your coloration that's attracting a lot of attention, actually. You should feel flattered."

"My coloration?"

Zyra nodded. "Your coat and mane. In zebra culture, we revere Harmonia as one amongst our pantheon, a goddess of Light and the heavens, much as the ponies do. It is a showing of good faith in our allies of House Snow; they, in turn, pay tribute to our gods, such as the goddess Layk."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"The ponies do not depict Harmonia with any sort of physical form, but the zebras do: a winged, horned pony mare of untold beauty with a coat as white as the whitest snows of winter, a mane the color of the frozen lakes in the moons' light." Zyra glanced at Rarity's mane, then nodded again. "It's close enough."

Rarity paused, even stopped walking for a moment. "They… they don't think I'm Harmonia, do they? That's not what you're suggesting?"

"No, they see you as perhaps… an avatar of sorts. Remember, we zebras do not believe that any of Harmonia's Wardens since Silvertongue have had a legitimate claim to the title. To see a pony with such clear physical evidence of a connection to Harmonia, though, well… that is something that would grab their attention."

Pattycake rolled her eyes. "We get it, we get it, Rarity's gorgeous, sheesh. Y'know it's not all it's cracked up to be to be a pretty mare. You probably get stares from ponies too, but they're not all wondering if they're seeing a goddess walk down the street. They're probably wondering 'mmm how do I get a piece of that?' I'd bet."

"I wish I could say that you're wrong," Rarity muttered, knowing quite well the effect she sometimes had on stallions. "Luckily these zebras seem to have some class."

"Or they figure they'd be stupid to catcall the avatar of one of their goddesses."

Rarity gigged, then turned fully to Pattycake and gave her a smile. "And don't poo-poo your own looks, dear. You're a lovely mare, and that's the truth. I only wish that Applejack put as much thought into her upkeep as you did."

"Psh, nice try, I bet you're just trying to butter me up for something. What, do you want some complementary cupcakes 'cause you're eating for two now?"

"Honeybear, she's just tryin' ta give ya a compliment," Crossfire said with a grin. "An' she's right, you're purdier than any mare I ever did see, yessir, an' that's the truth."

Pattycake considered him a moment, then stuck her nose in the air. "Good answer."

As the group approached the temple—a surprisingly simple structure built of obsidian and gold like all the rest and decorated with waterfalls that somehow weren't frozen—Zyra took a stronger lead over the ponies as she directed them towards the main entrance. There were no guards or anything of the sort, and zebras of all kinds were coming in and out, some of them alone, others in pairs, and others as entire families.

Zyra led the group not into the main temple hall, though, where Rarity could see zebras moving in a line towards a large statue of what could only be a representation of the goddess Layk, who Zyra said was a goddess of nature, life, and love.

The statue was of a zebra mare with elongated features, much the same as alicorns had elongated limbs compared to the other pony races. The mare's face was hidden behind a mask decorated with feathers of the same sort that Zyra wore in her mane. She was positioned directly under a waterfall that had not eroded whatever material the statue was made from, posed such that she appeared to be bathing.

"The main hall is always open for worshipping purposes," Zyra explained as she led the ponies further along a different hallway. "The High Priestess is rarely there except for particular ceremonies, so we will find her elsewhere. I would very much like to speak with her, and she will help us with our other matters as well."

Rarity smiled and glanced at Pattycake. "Yes, I imagine that she'll be a big help in that regard."

"I sure hope so," Pattycake said, biting her lip.

Crossfire glanced between the mares and scratched his head. "Uh… what's all this 'bout 'other matters'? Am I missin' somethin'?"

"In due time, in due time," Rarity tittered.

As they traveled down the hall, eventually they were greeted by a priestess of the temple in the same sort of white robes that Zyra wore, only in the old, unmodified style that Rarity had created. The priestess seemed to recognize Zyra and nearly dropped a tray of incense bricks in surprise.

"Oh! Sister! It hath been some years, dear Zyra."

"Sister Zorii, hello," Zyra said with a smile and a nod, stepping forward to admire the feathers in the other mare's mane. "You've grown up. When I saw you last you were but a mere Nestling, and now you are a full-fledged Sister. I am so proud of you."

The priestess, Zorii, shook her head, probably confused at Zyra's lack of meter. "Thou art here. Might I asketh why thou hast come?" A pause. "Forgive me. 'Tis improper form. We greet first."

Zyra and Zorii hugged one another like family members who had not seen each other in a very long time, then kissed cheeks first followed by lips, though not in any sensual or romantic sense; it was just a part of their religious traditions, and was treated with tact and normalcy.

"Now, Sister, thou canst answer me. How fares thee?" Zorii asked, eyeing Zyra with big, curious eyes. "And also, why dost thou not speak in meter?"

Rarity was having some trouble figuring out the meter that Zorii was using, because it was clear that she was speaking in some poetic meter and yet she wasn't using any sort of rhyming scheme. Zyra had told her that different meters were used for different social classes, but thus far she'd only heard Zultan and Zircon's iambic meters, who were ten and eight for every line, respectively. Zorii's was three, five, then three again, repeat.

"I am a citizen of Hope's Point now, Zorii. I hath integrated into their culture," Zyra replied, taking the priestess's hoof in hers. "As such I hold no such social rank as a priestess in the Sisterhood of Layk. You may speak with me as you would speak with any pony."

Zorii blinked a few times, then nodded. "I see. Then thou hast joined with them fully, a pony in all but name. Thou art no longer a true Sister…"

Zyra frowned. "That's not true, Zorii, I still pray to Layk every night before I rest and I still wear her feathers with pride. I may not have a temple to perform duties in, but I would never abandon my love for our goddess. It doesn't matter if I do not participate in ceremonies, for Layk is in my very soul and I still practice her teachings every day."

"Well spoken, Sister," came another female voice from further down the hall. "To practice Layk's teachings still, 'tis all that one needs."

Zorii and Zyra both turned at the voice and immediately bowed, but said nothing, even as the new mare approached.

She was older than they were, that much was obvious from voice alone, but not so much that she was elderly. She wore robes as well, more extravagant than Zorii's, but still otherwise plain and white. Most notable was a ceremonial ceramic mask over the top half of her face, which was decorated with pink and green crystals and paints to give the appearance of a flowery field.

The new mare approached Zorii first, and lifted her face up with her hoof to kiss her forehead. "Go, Sister Zorii. Thou hast duties to complete. 'Tis not thy place here."

The younger mare nodded and ensured that she had all of her incense bricks on her tray, then scooted off without another word or look to anyone.

Rarity could hear the meter in this new mare's tone: five, seven, five, again with no rhyming whatsoever. In fact, it reminded Rarity very much of a particular poetry style from her world that had started picking up in recent years and was very popular in one of her favorite exotic fashion magazines. A… haiku, she believed it was called? Did this mare speak entirely in haiku?

The mare then approached Zyra, and lifted her face up as well to kiss her forehead, then gestured for Zyra to rise up. "Oh, Sister Zyra, thou hast returned to these halls after many years. I see that thou hast taken up thy blade for true," she said, pressing a hoof against Zyra's longsword hilt. "Thou hast a new look."

Zyra nodded. "I am a part of Hope's Point now, Mother Ziala. I have adapted to their ways and culture, but I still carry my legacy as a priestess of the Sisterhood."

"Indeed, which means that I might speaketh with thee as if thou were not a Sister, a zebra, but a pony. 'Twill be difficult to accept for the others in the Sisterhood, but giveth them time to accepteth the 'new' Zyra." The mare then turned to the ponies present. "Greetings to thee, visitors, and welcome to the Temple of Layk. I am High Priestess Ziala. Art thou comrades of Sister Zyra?"

Rarity nodded and approached first. "We are, yes, and thank you for having us here in your lovely temple. I'm Rarity—"

"Lady Rarity," Zyra quietly whispered.

"Lady Rarity," Rarity corrected. "A pleasure to meet you."

Pattycake and Crossfire just gave the zebra priestess polite little waves and introduced themselves by name, nothing more.

Ziala nodded low, then rose back up to meet Rarity's eyes. "Thou art a Consort, I see; thine unity trinket is worn with pride upon thy foreleg. 'Tis not uncommon for our lords and ladies to take a Consort from Frostburg, but I thinketh not that thou art a member of House Snow."

"No, I'm not. I'm not any of that, actually. I'm the… Consort of Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood, though we prefer the term 'Companion' amongst ourselves."

Ziala tilted her head, slightly confused, a little distressed maybe? "Ah, I see. I didst not think that ponies were adopting our most honored practices."

"Only in Hope's Point, Mother Ziala," Zyra said with a firm nod. "At least as far as I am aware, the southern nobles still do not share their lives with their consorts, and do not provide them with proper titles or blessings."

"Indeed." Ziala stepped towards Rarity and, with Rarity's allowance, kissed her cheeks. "'Twould be to thy benefit to ensure that others know that 'tis Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood who hath claimed thee, for our people wouldst become… quite angry were it a southern pony lord instead. And mayhap still they would be troubled."

Rarity nodded slowly. "I will keep that in mind, Mother Ziala, thank you."

Ziala then turned to Zyra, and took the latter's hooves in hers. "Dearest Zyra, what bringest thee to the temple after so long? It hath been many a moon since I hath heard from thee; art thou well in Hope's Point?"

"I am well, Mother, thank you," Zyra replied with a small smile. "As you can see, I am the personal guardian of Lady Rarity and her unborn foal; my sword is sworn to her forevermore."

"A great honor indeed, to be the guardian of any lord or lady, and of their child. Thou hast come a long way since thou first didst come to me so long ago, with naught but crushed dreams and a broken heart." Ziala kissed Zyra's forehead again. "My heart swells with pride for thee."

Zyra's face reddened. "Thank you, Mother. Also, I… I have found a stallion who makes me happy. A pony, a pegasus in fact. He is a soldier in good standing. He knows of my condition, and it does not trouble him; we have only recently begun courting, but I have hopes that there is more to come."

"Indeed?" Ziala said with a smile. "Well, then may Layk's blessings be upon thee, my dear."

"Speaking of which, I wanted to ask if you could do me a favor?"

"Oh?"

Zyra gestured towards Pattycake and Crossfire. "Though these two have been wed for some time, I was wondering if we could still arrange a Lifegiving for them? They are comrades in our travels, and the mare is sister of His Majesty King Lockwood, the stallion his sworn guardian."

Pattycake stepped forward, almost pushing Rarity out of the way. "That's right! Zyra and Rarity told me all about the kind of stuff Zyra used to do when she was a priestess here, and I knew, I just knew, that I had to ask about arranging one for us."

"What're ya talkin' about there, honeybear?" Crossfire asked, scratching his head. "What's this here 'Lifegivin'? What's goin' on?"

"Does thy husband not knoweth of our sacred duties?" asked Ziala.

Pattycake shook her head. "No, but that's because I wanted it to be a surprise. He's a little old-fashioned and doesn't like talking about that kind of stuff."

"What kind o' stuff?" he asked.

"Sex stuff," she replied.

Crossfire's face reddened. "Now hol' on, are you sure ya wanna be talkin' 'bout that kind o' stuff in front o' strangers?" He paused as he looked at a smiling Rarity and Zyra. "An' friends? 'Tain't proper ta talk about bedroom stuff like that."

Zyra interjected with a grin, "If there is anyone who wouldst not be bothered by such matters, 'tis the High Priestess of Layk."

"Sweetheart, I'm not talking about bedroom stuff, I'm talking about our future," Pattycake said, pressing her hoof to his chest. "We've been trying for six months now for a foal, and still, nothing. The doc said that nothing's wrong with either of us, so that means we've just been unlucky, that's all."

Crossfire was redder than ever. "Wh-what's that gotta do wit' this?"

"The Lifegiving ceremony is a sacred ritual that is performed here in the temple," Zyra explained. "It is considered one of the Sisterhood's three most sacred duties, for as priestesses under Layk we would be tasked to deliver her blessings upon those seeking her aid."

"Our Lady Layk is a goddess who hath, besides nature, claimed three facets of life that bringeth prosperity to the realm," Ziala said, stepping forward to look Crossfire in the eye. "Love, which we bless via marriage ceremonies; life, which we bless via the delivering of foals; and fertility, which we bless via ensuring that foals are sired in a more intimate ceremony."

Crossfire's face might as well have been the definition of the word "red". "Wh-what?"

"'Tis a sacred ceremony, as Zyra hath said. Through the application of enchanted paints and the ingestion of enchanted mixtures, a healthy couple shalt be assured of a healthy foal. 'Tis usually provided as a 'wedding gift' by lords and ladies to their fellows."

"I… but…" Crossfire looked down at his wife. "Honeybear, are you sure 'bout this?"

"I'm sure that I want your foals," Pattycake said simply with a firm nod. "And I'm sure that we've been trying for months but had no luck, like I said. We have an opportunity here to make sure that once everything's said and done and we go back home, our little family is gonna get bigger. Don't you want that?"

"O' course I do. I just…" Crossfire gulped. "I'm just nervous 'bout talkin' 'bout this here is all. 'Specially wit' friends 'n' such," he added, glancing at Rarity and Zyra; Rarity wanted to tell him to just be glad Gadget wasn't here to rib him for this.

"Well I sure wasn't gonna be able to surprise you with it if we talked about it in private, sweetheart." Pattycake turned to Ziala. "So, um… how do we go about doing this? Is there like a… thing for us to sign or something?"

Ziala hummed, tapping her chin. "Typically we do not perform this sacred rite for pony couples, but 'tis not due to tradition, but practicality, for we hath no pony couples living here in Zeb'ra'den. Indeed, ponies hath taken part in the ceremony before, as those from House Snow ofttimes marry into Zeb'ra'den noble houses, and vice versa."

Pattycake bit her lip. "Sooo… can you guys squeeze us in for an appointment?"

"Aye. There is an opening in tonight's schedule, at high moons. Wouldst that be acceptable?"

"Midnight tonight? Sure! We can do that, right sweetheart?" Pattycake asked, pawing at her husband's chest.

Crossfire nervously licked his lips, his eyes darting between the expectant looks of three other mares; Rarity didn't like putting pressure on the poor stallion like this but it was amusing, and again, he should be glad Gadget wasn't here with them.

"Uh… sure," he said. "I ain't got no problem wit' that. What's that there ritual entail exactly? 'Tain't gonna hurt or nothin', is it?"

"Ah, we cannot discuss particulars here, for 'tis a private matter," Ziala said with a coy grin. "But worry not, my fine fellow, for thou shalt findeth… enjoyment in it. None yet hath left our temple unsatisfied. Zyra, thou dost confirmeth this?"

"Nobody, zebra nor pony, has ever walked out of here not feeling like a million bits, to use a northern expression," Zyra said with a grin. "Though at times they have had trouble walking out of here," she added, nudging a very excited-looking Pattycake.

"Er… r-right," Crossfire gulped. "The heck did I just agree to…"

*****

"When ya said y'all were takin' me to a farm, I was expectin' a lil' bit more'n this," Applejack said, giving Zircon a little nudge. "'Tain't like no farm I ever seen before."

Indeed, this "farm" was barely more than a simple, small "orchard"—if it could even be called that—made up of a small collection of fruit trees unlike anything Applejack had ever encountered.

They resembled pear trees, only with pure white leaves and bark the color of grape juice. They were also not nearly as tall as any tree that Applejack knew, as if someone had chopped them down just below the lowest branches and stuck them in the ground like that. And all of them were planted directly into a small patch of snow and ice, too, not into any sort of soil.

"'Tis a snowfruit orchard, though admittedly small," Zircon explained as he walked up to one of the trees closest to him. "Snowfruit is unlike most other crops. The fruit only groweth in ice and snow, not in earth. If I might be plain with thee, thou hast a point in that a snowfruit orchard wouldst pale before an orchard of oranges or pears. They groweth best in the wilds, untended to by hooves."

Applejack scratched her head. "Fair enough, I guess. I ain't never heard of a 'snowfruit' before, so I'll trust ya ta tell me how it is. We ain't got these back home, y'see."

"Truly? Then thou hast never tasted one, either?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Can't say that I have."

"Well, we must remedy this immediately." He stepped over to the tree and yanked a fruit off the branch, then brought it over to her. "And worry thyself not; this orchard doth belong to my family, so 'tis not stealing."

"Good, I was about ta give ya a lil' earful 'bout takin' other folks' stuff," she chuckled. "Yer family owns this here orchard?"

"Aye, 'tis on our land, though not a part of our main estate. Snowfruit requireth little tending to and is quite plentiful as it grows quickly, e'ry few months in an orchard such as this, so my sister Zora doth not even waste time and money employing a guard."

He passed the fruit over to her, and she gave it a keen once-over. It looked like an upside-down pear, with the fat end at the top by the stem rather than at the bottom. The skin was a cold, icy blue, almost like a sapphire, but it did not reflect the light of the moons above quite as well. It was even just a little cold to the touch.

Then she bit into it, and her eyes widened at the sudden burst of flavor. It tasted like those blue raspberry candies that Pinkie and Rainbow enjoyed, right down to the strong, sour zing that came with them, and yet it had the melt-in-your-mouth texture of a perfect sherbert ice cream.

"Verdict?" Zircon asked, giving her a wide grin.

Applejack swallowed her mouthful and gave him a nod as she wiped the juices off her chin. "Well, it ain't no apple, but it sure is dee-lightful."

He tilted his head. "An… apple?"

"Yeah…? Oh. Right. I keep forgettin' yer world ain't got apples in it fer some dang ol' reason." She stared at the snowfruit—its innards were bright blue, like the candy Applejack had compared it to—then gestured at it. "Probably traded places wit' this here snowfruit stuff, I'm guessin'. Or somethin'. Heck if I know."

"Seeing as I hath never encountered one, I cannot say for certain. Mayhap they do exist I didst not know what they were called. To be honest, I hath always thought thy name didst stand for 'pineapple'."

"Naw. Apples are apples, that's that." Applejack gestured at her flank, even turning a bit to give him a clear view. "See my Cutie Mark? Them red things there are apples. Just the real generic kind, though, but you get the picture."

He did not hesitate to glance, which she appreciated—too many folks around here got all jittery about being asked to look at her Cutie Mark, something which was perfectly normal to do at home. Heck, little colts and fillies would cheer and yell and make a lot of commotion when they got their marks, and were always willing to show them off. Did it not work like that here?

Zircon hummed and nodded. "In only this form, as a simple image, might I say that they look… appetizing? 'Twould be a delight to give one a taste, methinks."

She gave him a coy grin; he'd walked right into her little trick. "Shucks, you flirtin' wit' me now Mister Thou? 'Cause that right there was a doozy."

"Hmm. Mayhaps it was, mayhaps not."

He tilted his head and briefly met her eyes with his, then took back the snowfruit and took a bite, chewed, and swallowed, all deliberately slowly, including letting the juices drip to his lips a moment before licking them. Applejack could feel her heart beating just a little faster; it should be illegal to look sexy eating a danged fruit like that.

"If thou dost claim those to be generic apples, 'twould imply that there art different breeds, aye, much like a rose?"

Applejack shook off her distracting thoughts. "Uh, yeah, there are a lot o' different kinds of apples in my neck o' the woods."

"Canst thou name them all for me? I admit, I am most curious."

She smirked. "That a challenge?"

He smirked back. "Nay, just a harmless question. But if thou canst not do it—"

"Ya got yer granny smiths—my Granny's named after 'em—and yer fuji apples, yer red delicious, green delicious, golden delicious, pink ladies, honeycrisp, envy apples, gala apples, pazzaz, jazz, braeburn apples—got a cousin named after 'em—and then there's cameo apples, hidden rose apples, ambrosia, jonagold, empire, mcintosh apples—that's what my pa 'n' big brother are named after—"

Zircon laughed with a great guffaw. "Cheerily, fair Applejack, thou art truly an expert! Never before hath I seen anyone, pony or zebra, speaketh with such fiery passion over something so seemingly mundane as a fruit."

"Shucks, you think that's somethin', ya ain't never heard of all the things folks make wit' apples. Plenty o' folks in the Apple Clan're even named for 'em, too." She took a dramatic breath. "Apple pie, apple cider, candied apples, caramel apples, apple brown betty, apple tart, apple crisp, applesauce, apple galette, apple chips, apple crumble, apple jam, apple butter, apple fritters, apple cobbler—" She paused, waiting for him to stop her again.

He didn't, instead just watching her with a sly little grin.

"Ain'tcha gonna try an' stop me ramblin'?"

"Nay. 'Twould be a shame to halt thy spiel, for thou hast more than just a fiery passion for these 'apples'. 'Twould be fair to call it an obsession, if thou dost not mind my saying so."

She chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Shucks, I mean, I guess it kinda is. Apple farmin' has been a part o' my family fer generations. I'm an apple farmer, my big brother's an apple farmer, our pa was an apple farmer, Granny was an apple farmer when she was younger, her daddy was an apple farmer, an' so on. It's just… it's what I love doin'. It's tradition."

He was silent for a moment, looking up at the moon, then gave her a slow nod. "'Tis tradition for members of my family to serve as soldiers or knights. Not all of us, no, but 'tis an honored path for many to take. The blood of the kingdom's greatest warrior, Princess Zarya, runneth through my veins. The art of battle hath been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

"Thou art the same, Applejack, though the battlefield of choice for thee is the field and orchard, and thy weapons of choice art thine own hooves as thou soweth seeds and reapeth thy harvest season after season." He placed his hoof to her chin and looked her right in the eye. "Thou art an admirable mare, Applejack. A fine warrior, and a finer farmer."

Applejack gulped; she thought it was supposed to be freezing out here, but she just felt unbearably warm. "Hot dang, Zircon, you sure do know how ta use that there mouth o' yers ta make a mare feel good, don'tcha?"

"Fair Applejack, art thou flirting with me?" he asked with a coy grin. "Because that was quite a 'doozy'."

She blinked, then pushed him away, laughing and tugging her hat over her eyes. "Pshaw! Get outta here wit' that malarkey. You think you're pretty funny, don'tcha Mister Thou?" She gestured back the way they came, towards the palace. "Now if you're done messin' 'round, we oughta get back so we ain't late fer the feast, y'hear?"

"Aye," he said with a grin and a nod. "Come, let us make haste."

As she followed along beside him, though, Applejack just hoped that her hat was successfully hiding the red in her face.

*****

Hourglass had never been to a feast before, and before it was even all said and done she vowed that she would never go to one again, or at least not one hosted by zebras.

Everything was too loud, too messy, too excessive, too chaotic, and did she mention too loud? She could barely hear herself think while she was trying to eat, she wasn't allowed to use her magic to eat since it was zebra feast with zebra rules and they didn't have telekinesis, and the food was just so much food that she felt a little sick trying to stuff it all down.

Since she'd barely been able to hear herself think, naturally she was also barely able to hear any conversations that were being had over all the loud, cross-table conversations being shouted around a feasting hall that just carried noise like you wouldn't believe.

She couldn't hear what Pinkie had been shouting before trying to consume an entire sandwich in one bite, nor did she hear what the zebra soldier near her had said that got Rainbow riled up. She couldn't hear what Zyra had snapped at one of the other zebra soldiers near her and Rarity, either, nor could she hear the laughter of Sir Zircon afterwards. She couldn't even hear the conversation that Winter and Twilight were having, and she was right next to them!

She did see them holding hooves under the table though. About bloody time.

The only two things that Hourglass was able to make out clearly in the whole ruckus were the beginning, and the end, wherein King Zaratite himself, as the host, welcomed the guests, and later bid them farewell as he left. It was just a bunch of political la-dee-da as far as Hourglass was concerned; she knew that Winter was hoping to get to the actual negotiations tonight, but this was what they had to deal with.

She actually stopped listening some halfway through his welcoming speech, as he greeted each and every guest—zebra guest, mind—and thanked them for something they'd done lately or some other such nonsense. The only pony in the room that got any recognition at all was Queen Blackburn, and that was surprisingly short: just her name, a nod, a raising of his glass and of hers, and then he moved on.

It was official: Hourglass hated politics.

Oh, and she hated that the feast had this whole… phase sort of deal, where after every course of the meal the guests were supposed to switch seats elsewhere so that they could speak with other guests. Some sort of bizarre method of forcing a social aspect into this noisy dinner feast, but supposedly it was zebra tradition.

Now, the actual mechanics of it didn't bother her, of course. It was that she got seated next to a son of one of the zebra lords, who was somewhere about her age, maybe a little older, and who just would not stop flirting with her no matter how much she ignored him.

Oh, she'd heard him doing it, because he was specifically talking to her and making sure that she knew that he was talking to her and getting a little too much into her personal space to do so. The fact that he couldn't take a hint throughout an entire course of the feat was aggravating to no end; she was glad when she was able to rotate away from him. She didn't even bother to catch his name.

She wondered if she could find some of those little stick-on name tags that ponies used at parties so that she could make it clear that she was Hello! My Name is Not Interested in You.

But once the feast was over and guests were allowed to leave—three hours later!—Hourglass didn't waste much time in returning to her room, not just so that she could get some sleep, but so that her stomach could settle down.

The guest chambers here at the Zeb'ra'den royal palace were, incidentally, nowhere near the quality of the noble estates the party had been staying at thus far, nor the guest chambers in Hope's Point's palace.

In fact, they were barely on the same level as the guest rooms at the Goldridge Checkpoint; actually, no, not even that, because at least at the Checkpoint there was at least a shower and a functioning toilet. Even the pony nobles down here had toilets… just not as sophisticated as the northern sort.

The bed was comfortable, at least, though she questioned the wisdom of it being below the window in such a way that the moons' light shined right on her face. And now she noticed that there weren't any curtains on said windows. Who designed this room? Was this a guest room, or a dungeon? Was this torture intentional? Did the others have rooms like this? Surely the zebra king wouldn't put somepony like Queen Blackburn in a room like this, right?

Was it because she snubbed that zebra colt? It was because she snubbed him, wasn't it? She wished she'd gotten his name now, if only to hunt him down more easily and kick him someplace uncomfortable.

Then there came a little knock at her door, quiet enough that it wasn't aggravating. "Hmmm," was all Hourglass could really grumble out in response; even she didn't know what it was supposed to mean.

"Hourglass? Can I come in?" came Sunspire's voice from the other side.

Hourglass managed to lift herself off of her bed enough to grunt out a "Sure".

Sunspire opened the door and entered, looking just a little nervous. "Hi. Um… did you enjoy the feast?"

Hourglass grumbled a little, then managed to mutter, "Food was good. Too much of it though. I'm bloody well bloated."

"Oh. Yes, I agree," the colt said, patting his slightly swollen belly. "On both accounts, actually. I'm surprised some of the guests were able to handle it; where do they put it all? Green must have eaten three times as much as me and he's still walking around like that was a regular meal. He even wanted to ask about getting extra dessert!"

"Probably goes straight to his muscles. Just skips right past all the other biological stuff like digestion and such."

"Ohhh. Like that old cartoon where the sailor pony eats spinach and gets super strength from it?"

Hourglass blinked. "Uh… sure, yeah, just like that one." She shook her head. "So what's up, Sunsy? You obviously didn't come here to ask me about how the feast went."

"Aha… right. Um, no, I actually came here to give you something."

The young colt reached into his saddlebag and pulled out something wrapped in linen, which he passed over to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Open it," he replied.

She did so, slowly unwrapping the linen and finding that inside was a pocket watch with a gold and palladium case with a brass finish on a silver chain. It looked horrendously expensive, but it was of extremely fine quality and had some of the best craftwork she'd ever seen put into a clockwork device, and she'd seen a fair amount of high-quality contraptions… back home. She'd made a watch just like this in school, only with cheaper materials…

"What… what is this?" she asked, giving Sunspire the most curious look she could manage without starting to cry. "And no, don't tell me 'it's a pocket watch', I can bloody well see what it is."

Sunspire paused, then nodded. "Okay, good, 'cause I was about to— Anyway, it's… it's a present, from me to you. For your birthday."

Hourglass paused, stunned. "For my birthday? How did you know that today was my birthday? I never made a big deal about it."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You and Winter mentioned it once while we were traveling together through Goldridge. Actually you just gave a few random figures here and there about it coming up and when it would be, not an exact date, but I, uh… extrapolated. Did she get you anything?"

"We don't do gifts with each other," Hourglass muttered, not upset, just still focused on the gift in her hooves.

She looked at the little pocket watch, marveling at every intricate little detail. She could see exactly were each and every piece of metal had been attached to create the case; she could see into the clockwork from the back particularly well and could see how each and every gear and screw had been meticulously positioned. She even gave it a little wind-up, and it sounded just… perfect.

It sounded like home.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

Hourglass ignored the rumbling feeling in her stomach so that she could move off her bed to wrap the colt in a tight hug. "Thank you, Sunsy… this means a lot to me, more than you could possibly know. This is the best birthday gift that anypony's ever given me."

"Oh! Um… I'm g-glad you liked it," he peeped, returning the hug. "I'm really glad you liked it, actually. I've, um… I've never given anypony a birthday gift before. My birthday is the same as all of my compatriots, and we don't really have the means to—"

"Sunsy you are such a nerd," she scoffed as she tightened the hug. "But you're also the best little brother that anypony could ever ask for."

He paused for a moment, then tightened the hug. "I just wanted to do something for my big sister. That's all."

Chapter Twenty-Five: Reason

Over the past year of ruling Equestria, Twilight had come to realize that she was not at all fond of the politics of the noble court. Nobles and aristocrats and foreign diplomats had a habit of treating politics like a game of sorts with its own rules and regulations and where strategy and planning were key aspects, but where one had many tools at their disposal to play the game any way they wanted.

Twilight wasn't fond of the game herself; the way she saw it, the game was unnecessary.

But of course she was a new player on the field who was still learning the rules and accepted strategies, and most of all she was still learning just how deep and engaging it could be if one played it correctly. Engaging with the southern pony nobles thus far had been mostly the same as what she'd been accustomed to back home, albeit with a little more personal stakes inserted into the noble house rivalries and allegiances than her own courts seemed to have, as far as she knew.

And then she met the Zeb'ra'den noble court, and everything that Twilight had learned thus far seemed to just fall out the window. The zebras played by the same rules but interpreted them differently, and there was a thin veneer of barely-constrained bitterness behind their every decision; the zebras of the frozen south did not like the ponies of the rest of the continent, and vice versa, with the exception of House Snow.

This was why Twilight and her group had not stepped in to begin negotiations whatsoever with King Zeratite and his full court in over twenty-four hours and had been relegated to retelling the story over and over again to lords that were clearly just trying to make sure that they all had the same information, or otherwise hoping to catch Twilight's party in a lie. Blackburn had ensured that most of them only spoke with herself, Gray, or Twilight whenever possible.

Ambassador Zultan was the only member of their party that had been allowed in to speak with the king himself at all—not even Queen Blackburn had been permitted an audience!—and that did not bode well for making this journey any quicker or easier.

It was on the afternoon of the following day—a full day and a half after they'd arrived—before a summons was sent out to bring in the foreign diplomats, and His Majesty's court requested members based on their importance and where they were from:

The royalty of Hope's Point was permitted to come, and Blackburn finagled her way into allowed Rarity to join them, though only Gadget was present as far as bodyguards went; Lorekeeper Gilderoy was present as the only representative of Aeropolis; Ambassador Gray Skies was the representative of New Pandemonium City; then there was the Chronomancer Winter Glow; and lastly, of course, was Princess Twilight Sparkle of "Otherworld" as they were calling it.

Zultan… was not present. Twilight did not like that one bit. Sir Zircon was, but he had not come as part of their party, which Twilight also did not like one bit. She trusted Zircon, though, and not just because he was a friend of Applejack's, but because he seemed an honorable sort. She supposed that this was just how tradition played with things.

The diplomats met with the zebra court in the royal throne room, as was proper when His Majesty King Zaratite was involved. The throne room in Zeb'ra'den's royal palace made a mockery of any room that attempted to look more appropriately regal, and Twilight was used to seeing a royal throne room every day.

The walls were decorated with stunningly well-crafted weapons befitting the zebras' warrior-religion culture: swords crafted with jewel-encrusted hilts, axes with silvery blades, a great lance with a spearhead made of a perfectly-crafted emerald, and so on. Under each one was the name of a former king, obviously the one who carried that particular weapon into battle. There were an awful lot of Zaratites, some Zincanes, and even a Zeolitic.

The rest of the walls were decorated with either the Zeb'ra'den national emblem, or with emblems representing the other gods and goddesses of the zebra pantheon—which did indeed include Harmonia and Nihila—or with another symbol that Twilight knew now was the insignia of the current royal family.

All of the warriors and clerics in the room wore armor and robes respectively that were colored the same brown with emerald green accents as the royal family's coat of arms. Warriors stood in formation on the left of the aisle leading up to the throne, while clerics stood on the right. The ones closest to the throne were the king's most loyal advisors on military and religious matters; those below them were lords and ladies of the court in their respective fields.

Zultan had graciously presented Twilight with information beforehand, and Blackburn had filled in some details as well; it never did one any good to go into a political discussion blind.

The king's war advisor was Warlord Ziggurat, and he was the biggest zebra in the room by far with a beard to match, styled in such a way that it twisted around his shoulders to avoid dragging along the floor. He was missing an eye, and in its place was an emerald cut to fit into the socket. Being the biggest zebra in the room meant a lot, actually, as this made him taller than even Gray Skies, Twilight, and Gilderoy, who were otherwise the tallest creatures present.

The king's religious and magical advisor, Archsage Zucchetto, was a much more average specimen. His robes were decorated with emeralds and his hood had been replaced by a tall, straight hat decorated with vines made of silk. Beside him was a chair with a trio of thick books upon it, some of the thickest books Twilight had ever seen. She couldn't help herself from staring, but managed to reign herself in and keep her jaw closed.

King Zaratite himself sat on a throne decorated with furs and antlers—spoils from frostwolves, from Twilight's understanding—and a gold-studded longbow. He was slouched just to the side with his chin upon his hoof, looking positively content though somewhat tired. His mane and tail were styled neatly but kept very, very long; Twilight was struck with the thought that perhaps the king never cut his mane and tail at all.

Twilight did notice that the representative of House Snow wasn't present, and Zultan hadn't provided her with much information about whoever that was supposed to be. She had no idea why, but it seemed odd to her; maybe the representative didn't get to partake in these affairs?

Everyone who had just entered the room was instructed to bow, as was only appropriate when greeting a king in his throne room; Twilight didn't even need to be told, she just did it automatically.

Formal court introductions got underway, much as they had been done at the feast the night that they'd all arrived, only it was Ziggurat delivering the introductions, doing so in meter and rhyme as this was a formal speech. He punctuated each new name by thumping his massive warhammer against the floor and sending a small quake throughout the room in the process.

Thankfully the list only included the visiting diplomats; there was no point where Ziggurat rattled off titles for the king and his court.

Twilight did notice one discrepancy though: the zebras referred to Lockwood as "Prince-Consort", not "King", which he didn't seem to mind at all. Twilight was surprised that Blackburn did not voice any opposition to that, nor did Rarity, though she supposed it wouldn't be a good idea to do that right now. Was it not an insult to call him by an improper title?

The process took nearly twenty minutes to Twilight's mild annoyance since she had to stay bowed the entire time. The zebras were very thorough and deliberate, but it felt like they were purposefully taking their time.

This was followed by a small prayer to the zebra goddess Dryklur from Zucchetto, which was thankfully just two lines, one of which made Twilight particularly happy:

"All rise, that I may deliver a prayer to our goddess Dryklur. O, great Huntress, pray, bless us with thy plentiful gifts, which art pure."

Short, simple, to the point, and it let everyone stand up, so Zucchetto was Twilight's favorite zebra in the room now.

Once the prayer was complete, the entire room seemed to relax just a little, and everyone could stand at ease, at least as much at ease as they could considering the fate of the world depending on them negotiating through this situation efficiently and effectively.

Warlord Ziggurat spoke next: "Before these negotiations may yet proceed, a member of our court hath requested permission to aireth a grievance." He nodded into the row of clerics. "Lord Zopo, steppeth forward and maketh thy voice heard."

One of the clerics, a thinner zebra stallion with a wiry mane and goatee, took a step out of the line of clerics and cleared his throat, then pointed towards… Rarity? "I hath taken offense to this one wearing a coveted unity trinket. 'Tis one of our most honored traditions in Zeb'ra'den, a tradition for zebras, not for pony lords and ladies. 'Tis an insult!"

There was a clamor of agreement from most of the zebras present; from what Twilight could see, only Zircon, Ziggurat, and the king himself weren't voicing discontent, though Ziggurat was at least doing so with his good eye.

Blackburn stepped forward to reply. "As you are no doubt aware, Lord Zopo, I am not from the southern continent, but from Hope's Point in the north. We are not beholden to your antiquated belief that we cannot share in our cultures."

"Insulteth not our customs—"

"And besides that, many zebras have left Zeb'ra'den to live in my city, and they share their beliefs, their knowledge, and their culture with us freely. We are a melting pot of the world that freely adopts aspects of all of our citizens, no matter who they are, or where they're from."

"Regardless, the unity trinket is—"

"It's just jewelry, My Lord," Rarity interjected, stepping forward beside Blackburn.

There was another clamor of disapproval from the zebra court.

Lord Zopo sputtered and glared at Rarity. "Thou wouldst dare insult one of our most honored traditions?" He looked at Blackburn. "And thou wouldst allow thy… consort to speaketh in thy place?" Twilight could just hear him not address Consort with the proper capitalization that the title supposedly deserved.

Blackburn was about to speak, but Rarity beat her to it. "By your own traditions, as Queen Blackburn's Consort, I am entitled to much the same benefits as her husband. Would you refuse to hear his words if he wanted to speak? No, I think not. Besides, I am not speaking for my queen, but for myself; your accusation is directed at me more than it is at her.

"I was given this bracelet as a gift," she continued. "It is a symbol of the relationship that I am a part of. But that's all it is, nothing more. I treasure the love and companionship that I receive from my queen and her husband, and nothing you say can change that. If you wish for me to remove it because you find it distasteful, then I will gladly cast it aside, but that will not change what we three have together."

"'Tis more than just a symbol!" Zopo snapped. "'Tis a binding—"

"A binding contract, yes, just like any marriage would be. Would you oppose a zebra marrying a pony? I suppose you would, unless they were from House Snow, wouldn't you? But there is no law or rule or even tradition that forbids it, is there?" Rarity snorted and shook her head. "No, you just think that you can cow me into submission by acting like you're in charge.

"But you are not in charge of the southern nobles' laws and traditions, My Lord Zopo, nor are you in charge of Hope's Point's laws and traditions. You have no authority to tell Her Majesty that she cannot take me as her Consort and provide me with all that comes with it. That is her choice to make, not yours, not anyone's. I would no sooner tell your king what he's allowed to do."

Zopo made to retort again, but then King Zaratite himself let out a gruff grunt, followed by "Enough!" This effectively cowed Zopo into shutting up and turning to look at his king, confused and a little frightened.

King Zaratite then turned to Rarity, his lips curling in a little grin. "'Tis true then, fair maiden? Hast thou been claimed by Her Majesty Queen Blackburn as a Consort?"

Rarity paused, looking at Lockwood briefly—he smiled at her—then nodded. "There is a bit more to it than that, but yes, as she is the ruling authority of Hope's Point, then she is the one who has 'claimed' me as a Consort."

Zaratite paused for a moment, his eyes drifting down Rarity's figure briefly, then darting to Blackburn, then Lockwood, then back to Rarity. He then let out a loud laugh and focused his attention on Blackburn.

"Ha! Thy new Consort hath a flame in her that rivals many a fearsome zebra mare, Queen Blackburn. Thou art lucky to hath staked thy claim early, lest others taketh the opportunity. I know some in this very room wouldst relish the opportunity to court such a treasure."

Blackburn smirked, but didn't say anything. The look and the wink she gave to Rarity though made Twilight feel as though… had they known this was going to happen? Had they planned this out?

Zaratite then turned to Rarity. "As for thee, Lady Rarity, where didst thou learneth so much of zebra culture that thou couldst speak with such confidence and fire?"

"A dear friend of mine, Zyra, was once a Priestess of Layk here in Zeb'ra'den," Rarity explained. "I have spoken much with her about her homeland; she has shared many wonderful tales about your culture, and I have taken them to heart. She was particularly forthcoming with knowledge about the unity trinket."

"A Priestess of Layk? Hmm." Zaratite chuckled and nodded. "Aye, they art highly respected in our society, and much reverence is given to the Sisterhood. If thou hast befriended one of their number and learned of our culture from thy friendship, then thou wouldst know how serious this conversation hath been."

"I do."

"Then this court shalt recognize thy status as Lady-Consort to Queen Blackburn, Lady Rarity. This matter hath been settled!"

Warlord Ziggurat acknowledged the king's words by thumping his hammer on the floor. Lord Zopo, his agenda thoroughly crushed, trudged back into the formation without a world, looking very much like a young colt who'd been thoroughly scolded by a teacher.

Ziggurat spoke next: "There art no further grievances which needeth addressing My Liege." He punctuated this with his hammer again, one, two, three times. "His Majesty shalt now addresseth the foreign delegation. All shalt stay silent unless asked otherwise, under penalty of expulsion."

King Zaratite remained slouched in his throne, his chin resting upon one hoof, as he looked out on the "foreign delegation", his eyes drifting to and fro as if studying each and every one of them. That he didn't seem to speak right away, and that his gaze transfixed on Gilderoy and Twilight a bit longer than the others, did nothing for Twilight's nerves; she still didn't know why Ambassador Zultan wasn't here, and his absence troubled her since he was supposed to be their advisor.

"A tale hath been brought to mine attention, a tale so tall it may well maketh the Beacon appear as an ant if placed side by side," the king started, using his hoof to demonstrate. "Were it not Ambassador Zultan who didst bring these details to me, mayhap I wouldst just consider the tale a silly fabrication, the ramblings of some drunkard desperate for attention.

"He didst come before me yesterday to speaketh on thy behalf, o delegates. He didst spin the tale as he understood it best, and once he didst finish, still didst I find it little more than the drunken ravings of a lunatic. I thought at first that Zultan hadst perhaps been enthralled by some unicorn's spell, or seduced by some pony mare's tail. 'Twas the only sensible reaction."

The king rose from his throne and walked down the short set of stairs leading up to it, Ziggurat by his side. "But then our Archsage Zucchetto didst worketh his magic, and he didst confirm that the Ambassador's tale was true when he didst come to speaketh to me in person." He laughed. "'Nay,' I said. 'Surely 'tis the work of a spell upon his mind, to maketh him believe such outlandish fiction.'

"His first claim! That the tales we hath been told of the fall of the gryphons possessed a degree of exaggeration. Now, naturally that I cannot deny, for there standeth a gryphon right before mine own eyes."

Zaratite stepped right before Gilderoy and eyed the Lorekeeper closely. "At the feast, I didst see him sample our cuisine, I watched him eat and drink at my table, I heard him speak. 'Twould seem that that part of the tale ringeth true, for no illusion can faketh such things."

The king then laughed and walked a line in front of the other delegates, giving them each another look-over from close up. "But if one part of Zultan's tale be true, 'tis not necessarily the case that the rest might be.

"His tale didst claim that he witnessed the great Lord Silvertongue himself appear before him, that he didst hear him speak as a spirit. He doth believeth this to be true, but 'tis impossible; Lord Silvertongue perished in the north, a result of injuries sustained in combat. 'Tis the story that hath been accepted by all here in the south; to claim otherwise requireth proof."

Zaratite stopped walking and looked amongst the delegates. "So? Prove this claim to me. Canst any of thee bringeth Lord Silvertongue here that I might speaketh with him?" He looked at Rarity. "Wouldst thou do so, Lady Rarity?" He looked at Winter. "Or thee, Chronomancer Winter?" He looked at Twilight. "Or thee, Princess Twilight? Canst thou summon the spirit of Lord Silvertongue here?"

Twilight gulped and shook her head. "No. We cannot. That's something only his Warden can do, and she… isn't here. And even if she was, she wouldn't be able to summon him here in the south; the Beacon makes that impossible."

He nodded. "Ah, 'tis true, the Beacon doth protect all of the southern lands from harm, it doth protect them from Darkness and evil. Art thou so certain that this apparition that thou didst see was truly him? Hmm? Not some falsehood conjured up as part of a scheme of Nihila's, looking to raise an army once again to conquer the world?"

"We're sure that it was really him, Your Majesty."

"Aye, Zultan's tale didst claim that thou didst meet him in the flesh seven years ago. But again, thou hast no proof of this." He gestured towards Archsage Zucchetto. "Were I to even demand that thou submit to the Archsage's magic, to determine the truth of thy claim, wouldst it not be possible that thou dost think that what thou art saying is true, when it is in fact a deception upon thee?"

Twilight let out a breath; showing that she could follow the king's logic would help show that she understood just how ridiculous it sounded. "That would naturally follow, yes. Truth-detection magic doesn't actually detect truth, it detects whether the subject themselves believe that what they are claiming is a lie or not."

"So! Then thou hast no proof of the claim that Lord Silvertongue has requested of thee the task of 'deactivating' the sacred Beacon, which we in Zeb'ra'den hath sworn an oath to protect on the blood of our ancestors, on the honor of our people."

Zaratite snorted and returned to walking the line; Twilight was immensely disappointed that the king's perfectly sound logic was preventing them from solving a problem that just sounded so unbelievable. She could respect him, even admire him for his intellect and wisdom, but blast it all if she didn't wish he was a teensy bit more trusting.

"Next, thou didst claim to hath come into contact with a being who doth call itself 'Pandemonia'. This creature claimeth to be the sister of Harmonia, to be a goddess of the south from ages past where there art no written records to point to as evidence. This creature claimeth that Nihila didst usurp her power and didst use it to terrorize our world for thousands of years." Zaratite made a show to look amongst the delegation. "Hark, where art thou, Pandemonia?"

Twilight carefully gauged the king for a moment to make sure that she wasn't speaking out of turn and that he was expecting an answer. "She cannot travel south either, Your Majesty, because of—"

"Because of the sacred Beacon, aye, the same Beacon that thou hath claimed must be depowered so that thou canst complete thy work." Zaratite laughed and shook his head. "'Tis surely a jape at this point, but 'tis not all. Thou hast made another claim as well, one which bodes ill for us all.

"Our world is ending, is thy claim," he continued. "Our world shalt breathe its last in hardly more than a fortnight from now. Ah, but thou hast brought a solution! Another world where our people might yet retreat to escape the impending doom. Another world! One which two of thee hath claimed to be from," he said, looking to Rarity and Twilight. "'Tis a convenient tale.

"Another world, thou hast claimed, much like ours and yet not so much. Another world, thou hast claimed, where we might be safe and free from the threat of evil and Darkness forever more. Another world, thou hast claimed, where we shalt be welcomed with open hooves and open hearts." He laughed again and looked right at Twilight. "Where is thy proof, Princess?"

"We… don't have any," Twilight sighed. "Nothing that you would believe, anyway. A spell could be easily dismissed as a fabrication, tales are meaningless on their own, and our only physical evidence is ourselves."

"Aye, then thou canst see where the problem lies?" Zaratite scoffed and looked amongst the group again. "Thou asketh of me to allow thee access to the sacred Beacon, not to observe it, not because thou needest to be within its presence, but to render it mundane, to remove its magic, to eliminate its purpose. Thou asketh of me to allow thee to undo our sworn duty, which I and mine ancestors before me hath upheld 'til our dying breaths.

"Queen Blackburn, wouldst thou allow these fanciful claims to convince thee to remove thy fabled shield from around thy city on such flimsy pretenses?"

"No," Blackburn said simply.

"Indeed! Then why art thou asking of me to commit a similar act? Dost thou not thinketh my sacred duty to be as critical to the safety of my people, of all the south, as thy city's barrier? All on the claims of a creature that thou dost not know if true, on tales of the reappearance of an ancient hero, all without proof?"

"I would never ask you to do this if I didn't believe in these actions myself, King Zaratite. I have met with Pandemonia, and she sleeps in a private room within my palace, I have had servants deliver food and drinks to her, and I have seen her walk my halls at all hours of the day. I have met with Lord Silvertongue and spoken with him on more than one occasion, and I am friends with some of his daughters."

"Pah! This other claim of 'daughters', it doth reek of sentimentality, of an attempt to tug at heartstrings and prey upon my sympathies as a father." He looked at Gray. "Thou calimest that thou art the daughter of Lord Silvertongue, and yet I expect that thou dost not hath proof of such a claim either?"

Gray, eyes narrowed, let out a little grunt. "No. What proof would I even be able to offer you even if I could? A DNA test wouldn't help 'cause I'm adopted; I can't tell you anything about him 'cause you won't believe me; I can't bring him here to tell you himself. Asking me is just wasting everyone's time. Get on with it already."

Warlord Ziggurat stepped forward with a fire in his eyes. "Hold thy tongue, whelp. Thou shalt not speaketh to His Majesty in such a way."

"Or what, you're gonna throw me out?" Gray snorted. "Go on then, try me. Put your bits where your mouth is."

Twilight could feel her heart actually stop for a moment; was Gray trying to screw this up?

Ziggurat took a step forward, but Zaratite stopped him with an outstretched hoof. "If thou hast something to say, Ambassador, then say it. I can see in thine eyes that thou art chomping at the bit to speaketh thy mind. What holds thee back? Speak."

"I said what I wanted to say already: you're just wasting everyone's time," Gray snorted, not even remotely backing down despite the huge Ziggurat looming over her. "All this talk about needing proof is a bunch of bullshit and you know it. You're doing this on purpose; you don't believe us, you never will believe us, and nothing's gonna change that.

"But I know how your people work, Your Majesty. You all value one thing: strength. Strength of body, strength of mind, strength of will; only the strong survive here in the frozen south, right?" Gray smirked. "So how about instead of standing around talking like a bunch of gossiping hens, you let the warriors do the talking?"

Zaratite eyed her for a moment, tilting his head slightly to try and get a better read, then nodded. "'Tis rare for anyone, even our fellow zebras, to invoketh such things. What wouldst thou suggest?"

"Simple: you pit your best fighter against our best fighter, which is me. No weapons, no magic. Just two warriors in a ring with only their hooves and wits. Winner takes all: if I win, you suck up your pride and let us do what we need to do. If I lose, then feel free to turn us away. Fate of the world's on you in that case, but hey, at least you'll die knowing you stuck to your guns."

"Ha! Thou art a bold one, Ambassador Gray Skies." He looked at the others. "But 'tis not thy decision to make on thine own. What sayeth thy comrades? Wouldst they agree to this?"

"Fuck no!" Winter blurted, shaking her head. "Gray, we can't let the whole fuckin' world rely on whether or not you're the toughest bitch in the fuckin' room!"

"I have confidence in her," said Blackburn with a firm nod.

"Me too," agreed Lockwood.

"I'm with Winter," said Twilight. "We can't just put the fate of the entire world on a single little moment like this. We need to figure something else out, talk things through, negotiate."

Rarity sighed and shook her head. "Darling, the fate of the world always comes down to little moments like this, doesn't it? Think of all the times back home where everything was on the line in one final battle against the forces of evil, hmm? Only just a year or so ago was the Battle of the Bell; everything came down to that one moment."

"I know that, Rarity, but we didn't have a choice—"

"And how often do we get to choose our battles? Not very often, I'd say. I think that Gray knows what she's doing; I have faith in her."

Lorekeeper Gilderoy cleared his throat and chuckled. "My vote doesn't actually matter in this case, does it? Even were I to vote against it, the votes are already in favor of this 'combat trial' of sorts." He nodded at Gray. "But I do have confidence that our northern ambassador knows what she's capable of."

"So be it!" Zaratie exclaimed, raising a hoof into the air. "In accordance with our laws, I shalt accept this challenge and put forth a champion to faceth thee in combat. No weapons, no magic." He tilted his head towards her wings. "No flying. Just thy hooves and thy wits."

"Sure, whatever floats your cloud," Gray said, removing her jacket and wrapping it around her midsection so that she couldn't move her wings.

Twilight was immediately more nervous than she'd already been. Before, she'd been concerned with how Gray was going to make subtle use of her gravity manipulation powers, which she activated with motions of her wings, without anyone noticing. Now she couldn't use them at all. And Gray wasn't even bothered!

King Zaratite then turned towards the other zebras behind him. "Comrades! Who here wouldst stand as champion today? Who here hath the nerve to fight Ambassador Gray?"

Twilight was surprised, shocked even, that Zircon was the first to step forward. "Hark! As champion, I will serve. There art no others here with nerve."

Zaratite laughed and shook his head. "Nay, dear nephew, thou shalt not champion this cause. Thou art too close with them and wouldst be given pause. Nay, I cannot trust thee to fight with all thy heart."

Warlord Ziggurat grunted to get the king's attention. "Then chooseth me, My Liege, and I shalt rip this mare apart."

Zaratite turned and nodded to Ziggurat, then to Gray. "There, thou hast an opponent, Ambassador. We shalt begin the trial immediately."

"Fine by me," Gray grunted. "This jackass has been looking at me funny for the past five minutes, so I'm gonna enjoy kicking his ass."

Ziggurat did not respond to her taunt whatsoever. Gray swept past the warlord, who immediately began the process of doffing his armor, which would otherwise give him an unfair advantage. Seeing him in just his under armor didn't help matters; the stallion could very well have been made of pure muscle alone.

Twilight watched as the other zebras quickly and without hesitation situated themselves into a large circle that surrounded Gray and Ziggurat, His Majesty watching from on high in his throne. The other delegates were forced to stand outside the circle and thus, obviously, forbidden from interfering. Even Zircon was forced to stand outside the circle; he had probably given himself away by volunteering first, but Twilight appreciated that he'd tried.

"Comrades! Guests! 'Tis a Challenge of Strength that we art now privy to witness," King Zaratite called out for all to hear. "These two combatants shalt now do battle with naught more than their hooves and wits to aid them. The winner shalt be the one who still stands when their opponent stands no more. There art no rounds; there art no time limits. Both combatants shalt remain within the circle or forfeit. Combatants! Dost thou understandeth these rules?"

"Aye," was Ziggurat's simple response.

"Yup," was Gray's equally simple response.

"Then thou may begin… now."

Twilight had never seen two ponies really get into an out-and-out brawl before, not with her own two eyes at least. She'd seen little scuffles here and there, play-fighting mostly or just a couple of ponies getting into a fight because of a dumb argument. She'd heard about worse ones here and there, too, and she knew that in ages past it wasn't an uncommon thing.

But to see Gray, a friend, a comrade, somepony who was darn close to family, locked in combat with a huge zebra that was very much not holding back was not a pleasant thing to watch. Twilight nervously bit her hoof the entire time; she could barely even watch at some points where it looked like the two were actually out to kill each other.

This wasn't like the movies at all, where two fighters would trade blows and banter and just keep walking it off after. This was brutality.

Gray was tough, and strong, but she was still smaller than Ziggurat by a noticeable amount, and he was not as slow as a creature his size should have been. Blows that Gray would likely have shrugged off from a smaller pony knocked her about quite a bit, but Gray gave as good as she got.

The fighting proceeded for several agonizing minutes, and the two combatants steadily showed the wear and tear of being involved in such a ferocious, barbaric entanglement.

Ziggurat chipped a tooth when Gray managed to slam him face-first into the floor earlier; he paid her back not long after with a strike to her nose, which was now bleeding and probably broken.

Gray earned a black eye early on, but returned the favor later on by knocking out Ziggurat's emerald replacement eye with a well-placed haymaker.

Within minutes, the two were bloodied and bruised to the extent that Twilight was afraid that neither one of them would walk away from this.

The climax of the fight came when Ziggurat managed to knock Gray sliding to the floor after several minutes of back-and-forth beating on one another. When he leapt after her, she rolled away to avoid the slam and barely managed to scramble to her hooves before he was almost on her again.

She swerved just underneath him; he landed just on her other side. She turned and kicked as hard as she could; he was off-balance and stumbled, stumbled, just barely regaining his balance before running into one of the zebras on the edge of the ring.

And then Gray slammed into his side so hard that he smashed right into said zebra—Twilight noted that it was Lord Zopo—and the two zebras tumbled together out of the ring in a tangled mess of limbs.

The throne room was silent for a moment.

Then Winter leapt into the air, pumping her hoof. "Fuck yes! I knew she could do it! Yeeeaaah!"

The zebras cleared the circle, with some of them going over to tend to Ziggurat and Zopo, so that the delegates could move to Gray, who staggered towards them, clearly having trouble with walking.

"Oh my goodness, Gray, darling, you're hurt," Rarity said, using her magic to quickly undo the jacket around Gray's waist so that she could breathe and move properly.

"You always state the obvious, Rares?" Gray chuckled, her words more than a little jumbled. She winced and held her side as she did so. "Augh… yeah… that's a broken rib I think…"

Blackburn and Lockwood were quick to lend themselves to help Gray with walking, while Twilight used some rudimentary healing magic to help stop Gray's nose from bleeding. There happened to be a bench near the entrance to the throne room, and that was where the two set Gray down to sit and rest.

"Wait until Havoc hears about this," Lockwood said with a smile. "She's gonna be jealous."

"Yeah. She would be," Gray chuckled again, still clutching her ribs.

"We need to get her to a healer or something," Twilight said as she looked over the myriad bruises, scrapes, and other injuries. "I can use healing magic to patch her up but I don't even know what's injured. It's not as simple as 'poof' and she's all better."

"Allow me," said Zircon from behind the group. "I shalt ensure that Ambassador Gray Skies is tended to by the best healers in Zeb'ra'den. They art miracle workers."

Twilight nodded. "Thank you, Zircon. We appreciate that."

Gray grunted and gave the zebra knight a smile. "Heh… yeah, I think I would've rather fought you, actually."

"Aye, I think that wouldst hath been the best solution for all involved," Zircon said, looking over at Ziggurat who was still trying to get to his hooves. He turned back to Gray and, by himself, helped her up so that they could leave. "Hup!"

As they exited the room, Twilight heard Gray ask Zircon, "Say, after seeing that, who d'ya think would win in a fight: me, or Applejack? Be straight with me now."

He laughed. "Oh, Ambassador, I shouldst think that even I lack the courage to answer that question."

Once they were gone, Twilight turned to approach the throne, as did the others, but she did so with more purpose in her steps and she had the longer gait, so she got there first. "Your Majesty! The combat is done, so do we have an accord?"

Zaratite gave Twilight a little smile. "Thy companion hath proven herself mighty indeed. Warlord Ziggurat is counted amongst our best warriors, and though the fight was hard won, it was won." He nodded. "'Twas our agreement that shouldst Ambassador Gray Skies win, I wouldst taketh that as proof not of thy claims, but of thy resolve. As such, an accord hath been forged."

Twilight let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Nay, there is no need to thanketh me. 'Tis a matter of law; thou wouldst not thank the moons for rising every night, for 'tis the law of nature." He clasped his hooves together. "So, I shalt moveth forward under the assumption that thy tales hath been true. As such, I must ask what the next moves shalt be?"

Gilderoy stepped forward. "The remaining delegates will be returning north to Hope's Point from Newhaven after we depart from Zeb'ra'den, Your Majesty. I will go with them as far as Newhaven, where I myself shall visit the Elysian Islands to procure the tools I will need to deactivate the Beacon at a specified time. I will return to and then remain here in Zeb'ra'den until that time."

Zaratite nodded. "Then I shalt ensure that thou hast finer guest rooms, Lorekeeper, if thou art to remaineth here for an extended period. If there art any resources that Zeb'ra'den might offer in these endeavors, thou must only asketh for them, and they shalt be procured."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Gilderoy replied. "Other than that, there is little that any of your people will need to do. You would only need to warn them of the deactivation process, as it might cause a stir. The magic will not damage anything or anyone, but visually it might be disturbing or distressing."

"Very well." Zaratite turned to Blackburn. "Queen Blackburn, I regret that I cannot provideth thee with further assistance apart from means of travel and supplies. Until the Beacon hath been deactivated, my people are sworn to protect it, and so long as Zeb'ra'den standeth strong, our oath dost not allow us to bring war elsewhere."

Blackburn sighed and nodded. "I didn't have high hopes for anything more, but thank you anyway, King Zaratite."

"Hmm. Though, 'tis my understanding that my nephew, Sir Zircon, hath decided to venture north with thee. He hath spoken to me on this, as he doth claim thy tales to be true. Seeing the resolve in thine eyes, all of thee, tells me that mayhaps I shouldst keep an open mind on these matters."

"Zircon's coming north with us?" Twilight asked, looking at Blackburn.

"He asked me if I would allow him to come along, and I told him to ask permission from his king," Blackburn said with a shrug. "If he wants to help with the coming dangers, I'll be glad to have him along."

"Aye, 'twould be a boon to thee, as he is the finest swordfighter in all of Equestria," said Zaratite with a grin.

Twilight let out a breath, then nodded to Zaratite. "We appreciate all of your hospitality thus far, Your Majesty. I know that our story seems outlandish and strange and hard to believe, but I assure you that it's real. I wish that we could prove that it was without putting ponies and zebras in danger. Hopefully, once we succeed, you'll see that we were telling the truth."

"'Tis only a possibility if thou dost succeed in thy plans, Princess Twilight, so I shouldst hope that thou dost not fail." He stood from his throne, stepped down the stairs, and offered Twilight his hoof. "May the gods watch over thee and thy comrades in the coming trials."

Twilight took his hoof in hers. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chapter Twenty-Six: Rebirth

Twilight was relieved that it took far less time for the group to get back to Newhaven from Zeb'ra'den than to the other way around: six days flat as opposed to roughly seven-and-a-half. Yes, it meant traveling along a quick, straightforward path that didn't take them through any of the other towns that made up the south, which meant that they had to camp out every night and Twilight didn't get to see more southern culture, but it was worth it to save time.

Once back in Newhaven, the group immediately began setting to work on their departure; Blackburn could naturally request a flight and not have any trouble in requisitioning whatever was needed. The next transport ship would arrive in four hours, so everypony had that much time to get something to eat, relax, and otherwise do whatever they needed or wanted to do in the meantime.

The most important thing to do, of course, was to get Gilderoy to the Elysian Islands.

"I appreciate the offer, Princess," the old bird said when Twilight offered to teleport him straight there, "but I can procure my own transport in the meantime. You should take the time to rest and relax, perhaps partake in the local cuisine. There's no need for you to trouble yourself over an aging bird like me."

"It's no trouble at all, really," Twilight said with a smile. "I might not be as talented with teleportation as Dawn is, but that doesn't mean that it's difficult for me. Besides, I'd like to give these islands a little look for myself. It's probably going to be my only chance to really observe what your people were like."

"We'd like to go too!" called out Sunspire as he, Green Guard, and Serendipity came running up. "After all those stories you told us, Lorekeeper, there's no way that we're going to let this opportunity pass us by. Right?" he asked his companions.

"Right!" Green and Serendipity said in unison.

Winter rolled her eyes. "This isn't a field trip, kids. This is important business and we're only goin' so we can get some work done. We're not goin' explorin' like this is some kind of adventure."

"That's alright with us," Serendipity said. "We just want to look around while you guys are working. We won't get into any trouble."

"We promise!" Green said.

Hourglass cleared her throat. "I'll keep an eye on them, Winter, to make sure they stay out of the way."

"Oh, yeah, because that doesn't sound like it's just gonna lead to you and the kids accidentally doin' somethin' and causin' problems." Winter grunted, running a hoof over her face. "Fine. Fine, you can come, but you're not goin' off on your own. You stay with me and Twilight, and none of you touch anything, got it?"

"We can do that!" Serendipity said with an eager nod.

"I'll make sure everypony follows along with the rules, Winter," said Sunspire, adjusting his goggles. "We don't want to cause any trouble; we just want to see what all the fuss is about with these islands."

"And Gilderoy promised us that he'd show us around," said Green, gesturing at the gryphon. "I mean, we won't get to look around or anything, but it's better than nothing. Better than staying here and just sitting around, too."

"Alright, alright, I already agreed to it, no need for all that," Winter sighed. She looked at Twilight and shook her head. "Kids, eh?"

"It's nice to have that curious drive at that age," Twilight said with a smile. She turned to Gilderoy. "Well, I hate to play the sympathy card here, Lorekeeper, but it looks like we've got a whole troupe of ponies who want to go with you before we have to leave. You might just have to let me take all of us there, huh?"

Gilderoy chuckled and stroked his beard. "Ah, youth. To be that young and excitable again…" He gave Twilight a nod. "Very well, Princess, we can all go together. Allow me to provide the coordinates you'll need for your teleportation spell. This will just take a second."

He took his wand out of his robes and, after a brief swish, tapped it to Twilight's horn. Twilight felt a wave of nostalgia wash through her brain, an odd sensation as she was feeling nostalgic for a place that she had never been to before. She could see the image in her mind as clear as day: a landing pad of some sort on one of the central islands. Every single detail of the immediate area around the pad was burned into her skull, from the color of the tiles to the exact measurements of every piece of the structure.

Twilight nodded, letting out a breath as the memory spell wore off. "Okay, got it. Everyone, gather around, and we can get there in a jiffy."

They did just that, gathering in a clump around Twilight and Gilderoy. Twilight then ignited her horn and focused on the sight she'd seen, and with a flash and a pop, she and the others were gone from their little spot in Newhaven.

They immediately found themselves at their destination, as precisely on target as could be: a landing pad on one of the central islands, exactly as Twilight had seen in her vision down to the tiniest detail, only in a state of disrepair due to the passage of time. Other than that, though, it was clear to everyone present that they'd arrived at the Elysian Islands, the ancestral home of the Gryphon Empire.

Twilight marveled at the sights around here, recalling information that she had learned from Gilderoy and Winter. The Elysian Islands were a series of tropical islands and as such were populated by palm trees, tall, green grass, white sands, and vast expanses of brush and ivy, all of it organized almost unnaturally in neat intervals and precise locales as if placed there by a landscape artist with a purpose, at least originally.

Each island was also occupied by a number of buildings made of varying materials in varying colors, decorated with gemstones of every kind imaginable. Each building was of a different size, shape, and style that made them stand out from one another and related to their clear, unique purposes. Nature had overtaken most of the buildings and roads by now, and many others were in various states of disrepair and deterioration after centuries of neglect.

Most importantly, however, these islands were suspended in mid-air high above the ocean. There was nothing visible on the islands that should allow them to accomplish such a feat—no machinery or magical apparatuses—but they floated in the sky all the same.

Twilight took the opportunity to stretch her wings for the first time in days; nobody would see her up here, so she could afford to relax a little.

Gilderoy stepped ahead of the group and gestured at the building straight ahead, a pyramid-shaped structure constructed of silver metal, decorated with mostly red and blue gemstones. Its state of neglect was significantly more intense than several of the other structures on the other islands, as the central island had the most natural decorations, especially vines and ivy.

"The Arcanium," Gilderoy announced as he started towards it, the others following along as they looked about in awe. "This building is where we'll find the city's central database, which will contain records of everything the gryphons built in the past and has the means to replicate them." He gestured at his wand. "Once I implant the Beacon data, I can replicate the tools that I need for my work. It will be a simple process, though it might take some time."

"This place is beautiful…" Hourglass said as she looked over the nearby railing and down at the ocean below; it was a lovely afternoon with a perfect summer breeze, so everything was clear and crisp. "How are these islands floating up in the air like this?"

"Gryphon technomagic ingenuity at work," Gilderoy said with a proud grin. "It operates using a heavily modified levitation spell to keep the islands at a set height, which is in turn powered by a perpetual motion generator."

"The gryphons invented a working perpetual motion machine?" Twilight asked, astonished.

"Indeed we did, indeed we did."

"But that's physically—"

"Technomagic, and magic in general, oftentimes can overcome physical limitations Princess, as you're no doubt aware," the old bird chuckled.

"Fair point, I guess."

"To tell the truth, it's not actually a perpetual motion machine. It utilizes a battery to start the motion process and to keep it running, but it requires very little power to function. The machine recharges its own battery and sends the rest elsewhere, thus, it is perpetually in motion." He tapped the side of his beak. "Just a little cheating."

"How big of a battery is it?"

"I believe that New Pandemonium improved on the design to make the same battery more compact, while carrying the same charge. I procured some of the same sort of battery in Hope's Point for experimentation purposes. I believe it was a… AA battery? 'Double A' I think Miss Gadget called it?"

Winter balked. "You're telling me that this whole island is kept in the air by a single AA battery?!"

"In terms of power production, yes."

"Is that good?" Twilight asked; she didn't know anything about battery designations, having never asked about them before.

"Ponies use AA batteries to power flashlights," Winter said incredulously. "Sometimes a light takes two or three. Other devices might even take four or more. And this entire island is being kept up with just one! That's… it's just really hard to believe."

"Such is the nature of technomagic brought to its pinnacle," Gilderoy chuckled, patting Winter on the shoulder. "Fret not, young one. The ponies of this world have done things with our technomagic developments that even my kind would look to with envy and wonder. The submersible technology of Hope's Point, for example."

"Oh yeah, 'cause makin' a submarine compares to makin' an unlimited energy source that makes your islands float forever."

Once they made it to the structure and entered inside, Twilight marveled at the assortment of rooms that they passed through on their way to the central hub that Gilderoy had mentioned. Each room was sparsely-decorated, clean, well-organized, and clearly purpose-oriented as no two rooms were exactly the same despite having somewhat uniform layouts.

"These rooms were once used for research and development," Gilderoy explained. "Obviously they were all packed up apart from the built-in equipment when the empire moved north, but as far as I know they were in use all the way up until moving day." He pointed out one of the rooms, which had lots of spaces for vials and beakers. "This one, for example, was used for alchemical research."

"You wouldn't happen to know specifically what they were researching, would you?" Twilight asked, glancing at the door's labeling, which indeed indicated it was used for alchemy or chemistry in hierogryphics, the written language of gryphons—the dialect was slightly different from ancient hierogriffics back home, but still understandable.

"Sadly, no. The rooms seem to only be labeled with their fields, not any specific projects or researchers' names." He tapped an empty slot underneath the labeling. "Likely there would be a slotted panel here to indicate such a thing, but alas, they were thorough in cleaning things up, hmm?"

Twilight noticed Gilderoy slowing his pace as they passed by every window, maybe in some hope that he'd seen some signs that his people had actually been here and not just taken everything and left.

"Is everything alright, Lorekeeper?" asked Sunspire.

"Ah, just thinking back on my youth," Gilderoy said with a sad smile. "When I was younger, I had always wanted to see my ancestral home, but our people lacked the means to travel back across the sea; it had taken tremendous resources to move the empire to the north in the first place.

"And now, here I am. Walking the halls of the legendary Arcanium itself, seeing it with… well, one of my own eyes at least." He sighed and shook his head. "I never thought in a million years that I'd ever have the chance. Luckily for me it's only barely been more than a thousand, heh. It all feels like a dream…"

The group followed Gilderoy through the slowly curving hall, which eventually brought them to the center of the structure, which was a huge room containing something that legitimately floored Twilight, and the others as well: the Arcanium datacenter itself.

The Arcanium was a towering piece of machinery that occupied the entire room, and the room was nearly a quarter-mile around and half as high. It was the largest room in the entire superstructure, which was already the largest building on the largest island in the chain. Twilight figured that she could almost fit her entire palace in here; she could definitely fit the School of Friendship without issue.

Though it was inactive at the moment, Twilight could make out a lot of telltale signs of technological equipment that kept the machine operating at peak capacity and allowed it to be maintained: cooling vents, protective casings, cables, wires, indicator lights and panels, various ports, jacks, and drives for inserting materials, and a staggering power supply which, unlike the rest, was clearly operating at a minimum level rather than not at all.

She'd learned a lot in her brief time at Hope's Point, after all, so most of these things were beginning to become almost commonplace.

All of this was connected to a station just a dozen or so feet ahead of them which was composed of a trio of display screens, a couple of keyboards, and a chair that could comfortably fit a gryphon, or maybe a very large pony like Twilight herself. The irony that the actual operating station was so minimal and convenient compared to the sheer size of the hub's actual mechanics wasn't lost on Twilight; it was amusing, actually.

"Holy moley…" Sunspire muttered as he gazed up at the machinery. "This is the Arcanium central computer?"

"It is indeed, my young friend," Gilderoy said with a smile and a nod. "The world's first supercomputer, in fact, and if I might be allowed to brag a little, still the most powerful. Granted, you ponies are developing devices containing nearly as much computing power and storage space nowadays that are significantly smaller; those 'datapad' tablets I see everywhere in the north are quite marvelous."

"Actually, not to steal your thunder, but New Pandemonium City has a database just like this," Twilight said. "Central Database Holdings. I used to work there when my friends and I first came to this world seven years ago. It's basically a library, which I guess is just another word for 'database' anyway."

"Yeah, the CDH stores every single piece of recorded data in New Pandemonium City's history that can be made publicly available," added Sunspire. "From newspaper articles to published novels, even public records and not-so-public records. The only things not in CDH storage are classified files that come straight from Pandora Tower, and those are stored on servers in the tower itself."

"Ah, then you ponies have indeed advanced as far along that route as I'd hoped," Gilderoy chuckled. "However, I think that I might yet be able to surprise you with one development that your engineers have yet to replicate as far as I've seen, if you'll give me just a moment. Observe."

He drew out his wand and inserted the tip into a slot on the side of the console, then shoved the entire thing into whatever receptacle was present there. Within seconds, the console lit up in a bright neon blue, and following that, the entire Arcanium structure did the same. The room's standard lights died down so that only the blue of the computer system kept things illuminated, giving the whole room an eerie, technological glow.

The monitors also sprung to life seconds after that. The left and right monitors were blank apart from some Hierogryphics that were identical to the symbols displayed just outside the door, which Twilight vaguely was able to read as "Arcane System", which she supposed could be more accurately translated as Arcanium.

The center monitor, however, displayed a face. Its eyes and mouth were distinctly avian, like a gryphon's, complete with a gryphon's beak and everything. The eyes blinked open, as though waking up from a nap, and the monitor emitted a series of pleasant notes.

"Welcome, Lorekeeper Gilderoy," the face spoke, its soothing feminine voice echoing throughout the room. "It appears this is your first time interacting with the Arcanium system, so allow me to welcome you to the Elysian Islands Arcanium Hub. How may I be of service today?"

Twilight's eyes widened, her hoof shooting up to her mouth. "Oh my goodness, this computer can talk? Is it alive, or is this just some sort of voice output?"

The computer's eyes shifted slightly towards Twilight. "I am the Arcanium's interactive intelligence, and I am fully equipped with voice-processing fluent in every form of communication. I am not 'alive' by the strict definition of the word, however."

"Wowww," Sunspire said, eyes wide in awe. "This is more advanced than the computer systems we have in New Pandemonium by far, or even the ones I saw in Hope's Point!"

"Yeah, we use computers all the time in school," Serendipity said, scratching her head, "but they're not like this at all. They're all text-based."

"Processing," said the computer. It paused for an instant, then: "New Users detected: one gryphon, three unicorns, one earth pony, one pegasus, one alicorn. Creating new User profiles. Complete. Please state your names and roles."

Twilight gasped. "How does it know what an alicorn is?"

Gilderoy smiled and began stroking his beard, as she noticed he liked to do from time to time. "We—"

But the computer was faster. "In 1771 A.D., gryphon scholars acknowledged the existence of the alicorn goddesses Harmonia and Nihila, following the exodus north in 1315 A.D. The Arcanium database was still remotely connected to the imperial city of Aeropolis at the time, and updated itself accordingly with their recorded data."

Twilight tilted her head and blinked. "But you know what an alicorn looks like? I thought the alicorns of this world only existed in the Dreaming and had no actual physical forms?"

"Yeah, and the southern ponies don't have any physical depictions of Harmonia or Nihila anywhere that we've ever seen, and we've been into Harmonia's temple itself," Winter noted.

"Correct, but the zebras of Zeb'ra'den also paid reverence to Harmonia and Nihila as part of their pantheon of gods and goddesses, and they built physical statues that depicted how they believed alicorns to look: ponies with elongated body structures, a horn, and wings. One new User matches the description; if this observation was made in error, please specify your proper designation."

Gilderoy cleared his throat. "Forgive me if I interrupt this discussion, but we really must proceed with the business at hand, hmm?"

"Right, of course," Twilight said with a shy grin. "Sorry."

"No trouble, no trouble. We'll address any other questions you might have once we've concluded our business." He cleared his throat again and spoke directly to the computer now. "I am Gilderoy, Lorekeeper of the Gryphon Empire."

"Acknowledged. Welcome Lorekeeper Gilderoy. Your profile has been updated to accommodate your Lorekeeper status and authority, which is confirmed by your wand's signature."

The ponies in the group all introduced themselves as well, and the computer greeted them back with proper User titles and everything; Twilight found it amusing how intensely formal the device was and wondered if it was possible to convince it not to refer to her as a princess. Just to test a theory, nothing more. But it could wait.

"Do we call you anything in particular?" asked Sunspire once they'd all finished "updating" their "profiles". "It just feels weird to me to call you 'Computer' or something mechanical like that. Really impersonal, you know?"

Serendipity nodded in agreement. "Yeah! When we were born, all we had for our identities were a couple of letters and numbers. It's been so long that I don't even remember what mine was, and I'm glad for it, 'cause Miss Dawn gave me my new name and that's who I am now. I am not a number, no sir."

"Same here!" said Green, stamping his hoof on the floor. "If I don't have to go by a silly old number anymore, I'm not gonna call somepony else by something like that, something so… what Sunspire said. Mechanical. Like a robot or something."

Winter tilted her head. "It's a computer, kids," she said, raising an eyebrow. "It's not the same as you or me."

"Well, I would still prefer if there was something better," Sunspire murmured. "Everyone deserves to have a real name."

The computer's eyes shifted towards Sunspire. "Different Users utilize different appellations for interacting with my systems based on their comfort level with an artificial intelligence. Some have used the term 'Computer', referring to my primary function; others have used the term 'Arcanium', referring to my housing unit; my inventor, Techno-Sage Garrus, designated me as 'GAIA', which stands for Gryphon Artificial Intelligence Assistant."

Hourglass smiled and nodded. "Ooh, I like that last one. GAIA. It sounds lovely."

"I agree," said Twilight with a smile of her own. She turned to the computer, to GAIA. "So, GAIA, we can ask you for help with anything that we need?"

"I am bound to assist all gryphons of the empire with any tasks they have to perform," said GAIA. "However, as guests with proper Lorekeeper-authorized clearance, you also qualify for this privilege. How may I be of assistance to you?"

Gilderoy got GAIA's attention with a cough. "Since you were still being regularly updated with research data and development blueprints up until the Beacons were activated, I believe that you should possess a full packet of information regarding the Beacon project? I require access to the restricted files."

"Correct. Access to the project data, however, those files are classified and as such are restricted to Techno-Sage Garfield and his research staff. I can provide you with the publicly available information if you'd prefer?"

"I think you'll find that I've been given access privileges to restricted files."

"Processing. Yes, you are correct, Lorekeeper, the Beacon project archives are fully available to you. What can I assist you with in regards to this information?"

"I need to make a copy of the Beacon Key device," he responded with a nod. "Configured to the Light energy of the southern Beacon, specifically."

"Calculating request. Acknowledged; a Beacon Key will be replicated and can be retrieved in the replicator deployment unit on the far side of the room. The process will take approximately thirty-five minutes. Is there anything else I can do for you in the meantime?"

As she said that, Twilight heard a noise from the far side of the room and a wall panel lit up neon blue, like the rest of the Arcanium.

"Well, that was easy," Winter said with a nod and a grin. "What's this Key do, exactly?"

GAIA's eyes blinked. "Apologies, Chronomancer Winter Glow, but you do not have clearance for that information."

"Say what? But Gilderoy's right bloody there!"

"Correct, but Lorekeeper Gilderoy did not request that information; you did. You do not have clearance for that information, so I cannot provide it to you. My apologies."

Gilderoy chuckled and gave Winter a grin. "It's alright, I can tell you. It's exactly what it sounds like it is: a key. The Beacon has a panel at its base that is constructed of obidium, a gryphon-invented magical metal that is extremely durable, strong, and even impervious to magic once it has been molded into a form, be it a sword, a shield, or in this case, a door.

"The metal, in its liquid state, is just liquid metal, and it requires magic to manipulate it into a shape and then into a solid state; it doesn't cool gradually like other metals do, as its natural state is liquid, regardless of temperature. The thing is, once it has been cast into a shape, only the original source of magic that did so can manipulate the material again or affect it in any way."

"How is that a problem?" asked Twilight.

"Because the original source of magic that constructed the paneling for the Beacons was Lord Silvertongue himself. He insisted that it be him, because were a gryphon to do it with their wand, the wand could potentially be stolen even long after that gryphon's death, whereas once Silvertongue died of natural causes, nothing would be able to get through the obidium."

"Of course that was when you thought that he was trustworthy," Winter noted with a scowl.

Gilderoy sighed and nodded. "Indeed it was, but ironically, he wasn't wrong; I agreed with him then and I still do now. Granted, he solved the dilemma anyway by securing the wands of the gryphons he murdered and destroying them, so it was a moot point. Ironically, he could still theoretically manipulate the doors if he needed to."

"But because he can't come down here to the south in physical form, he can't." Winter shook her head. "So instead, you need this 'Key'?"

"Correct. The Key can bypass the obidium locks, and it is the only means of doing so without Silvertongue himself. He was well aware of the failsafe and as such likely destroyed his copy of the Key, and after finding no evidence of my Key in Aeropolis itself, he likely assumed that it was locked safely away in my Sanctuary of Knowledge, which it is."

Twilight tilted her head. "Wait, you have a copy of this Key at home in Aeropolis?"

"Why didn't we take it with us?" asked Hourglass.

Gilderoy chuckled. "Oh, if I had thought at any moment when I left my Sanctuary that I would need the Key, I would've brought it with me when I first left. As for why I didn't go back, the problem is that the Key I possess is attuned to the northern Beacon. We would have needed to convert it to the southern Beacon's energy anyway; it will be quicker to just make a new one."

"Well, that's convenient then," Winter noted. "If we didn't have you, we'd have to convert it ourselves. Would that be difficult?"

"Difficult, no. Time-consuming, potentially. I never tested the conversion process in the interest of time, and certainly not from the Elysian Islands facility. It could well have taken hours or more, or perhaps only a few minutes."

"Speaking of time, we've got a bit of that to kill right now, don't we?" Hourglass asked. "I don't suppose we can ask GAIA here a few questions about stuff that you don't know about and that you couldn't tell us, could we?"

Gilderoy laughed. "If I might toot my own horn, as the unicorn saying goes, I highly doubt that this facility would have any information I am not already privy to. As Lorekeeper, I have access to all of our records from not only the Elysian Islands' database, but from our database facility in my Sanctuary."

"I thought you wanted to come here to see if we could find anything useful to help us fight against Nihila?" Sunspire asked.

"Originally, yes, but I consulted my memories a bit and I realized that the only things that would be useful in a direct confrontation with her would be weapons or defensive measures. The gryphons had no such inventions; we were a pacifist society through and through. Even our wands cannot cast spells that inflict direct physical harm."

"So… no weapons then?" Hourglass asked, frowning.

"Sadly not, no, and if it's knowledge you're searching for, I have it all up here," he said, tapping his temple. "As Lorekeeper, I am well-versed in memory spells and as such can recall any piece of information that you might wish to ask of me. No offense to the Arcadium or to GAIA, but I can provide you with any information that they can, just more slowly I suspect."

"Aww…" Sunspire grumbled.

"Could you humor us?" Serendipity asked with a wide grin. "Maybe there's something that was classified in the system that you don't know about? I know there are all sorts of things that get compartmentalized back home; Miss Dawn likes to keep her cards close to her chest, y'know."

"Hmm. That's a long shot if I've ever heard one, but why not?" Gilderoy laughed. "Who knows, we might just get lucky and find something that can win the fight instantly."

Green nudged Serendipity. "Serendipity's always got luck on her side, so maybe it'll rub off on you!"

Twilight held up a hoof. "Well hold on, isn't that a bit of a conundrum?"

Sunspire tilted his head. "Huh?"

"If there was some sort of classified document that Gilderoy wasn't allowed to have access to, then GAIA wouldn't tell him about it because he's not supposed to know about it, and if GAIA doesn't tell him about it, then he wouldn't know it was there in the first place."

"And thus I wouldn't know that I didn't know something that I'm not supposed to know about," Gilderoy chuckled, stroking his beard. "Ah, quite a conundrum indeed. Let's test that theory." He turned to the computer. "GAIA, are there any projects or data packets in the Arcanium database that I, as Lorekeeper, do not have access to?"

"Processing," said GAIA, her lights blinking momentarily. "I am required to say that I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any such information."

"Which doesn't necessarily prove anything…" Hourglass muttered. "Hmm."

Winter rolled her eyes and stepped up alongside Gilderoy's chair. "GAIA, are there any projects or data packets in the Arcanium database that you're not allowed to tell the Lorekeeper about but that you could tell me about?"

"Now why do you think that's gonna work?" Twilight grunted.

"There is one such project in my database, Chronomancer Winter."

The group went collectively silent; Winter's lips curled in a smug, satisfied smirk.

"Wait, what?" Twilight asked, blinking. "Why did that work? That doesn't make any sense." She shook her head. "How did you know that would work, Winter?"

Winter shrugged. "I didn't know it would, but I figured I'd try instead of just standin' around tryin' to figure out how to get around it. Just punch right through, eh?"

Gilderoy chuckled. "Quite a creative solution, Miss Glow. Well then, seeing as I cannot access this project, perhaps you'd better figure out what it is, hmm?"

"Hang on," Twilight grunted. "I still wanna know why that worked. Why can GAIA tell Winter but not you? We're not even gryphons!"

"This is precisely the reason why I can reveal this information to Chronomancer Winter, Princess Twilight," interjected GAIA without any prompting. "The project was deemed classified, and information on such an endeavor would only be made available to certain individuals due to the controversial nature of its processes."

"But if it's classified, why'd you tell Winter about it?" asked Hourglass.

"The project was specifically made classified to all citizens of the Gryphon Empire. Chronomancer Winter is not a member of the Gryphon Empire, and has also been given Lorekeeper allowances by Lorekeeper Gilderoy. Thus, project details are available via technicality."

Winter grunted and grinned. "Well, that's a lucky oversight."

"The possibility of pony Users entering into the system under these specific circumstances was deemed improbable if not impossible. Current evidence suggests this was an error in judgement."

Gilderoy hummed. "Yet you should not be able to reveal such information if I was present here, GAIA, is that not true?"

"My programming dictates that I cannot reveal this information to you if you were to request it of me, Lorekeeper Gilderoy. There is no guideline against revealing such information to another User that happens to be present within your immediate vicinity."

"Another oversight," Winter noted.

"Technically speaking, Chronomancer Winter, it is not an oversight, but a means by which Technosage Garrus allowed me to make decisions about revealing information and making judgements based on context," GAIA said, her eyes blinking.

"Huh?"

"There is nothing preventing you from asking Lorekeeper Gilderoy to leave the room before asking me for further information, and then revealing it to him afterwards. Not only have I already witnessed such behavior from your group, but it is behavior that I have witnessed when there were more frequent Users in the facility."

"So it's not an oversight, you're just taking advantage of a loophole in your programming?" asked Twilight.

"Correct."

"But you're a computer," said Hourglass, scratching her head. "How are you able to do that?"

"For clarification, I am an artificial intelligence system, Apprentice Hourglass, not merely a computer. While my primary task is as an administrative assistant, that does not mean that I lack the means to interpret data and commands in such a way that benefits my Users. Were a creature hostile towards the empire to ask this same information, I could easily choose to omit it."

Winter let out a breath. "Crikey, that doesn't sound creepy at all. I guess we're lucky you're one of those benevolent artificial intelligences. I watch too many movies, I think." She shook her head. "Alright, whatever, just tell me about this secret project."

"Certainly. The project to which you refer is called the Rebirth Initiative. It was developed over the course of twenty years just prior to the Gryphon Empire departing from the Elysian Islands to the northern city of Aeropolis. The project leader was Techno-Sage Genesis, and the project was developed as a means of surviving a possible apocalyptic scenario."

Gilderoy hummed. "An unusual undertaking. Our kind was always focused on the future and advancement. Even on our worst days I don't think any of us dared to think that we would be… wiped out. Ironic…"

"What is it, some kind of bunker?" asked Winter.

"The Rebirth Initiative utilized highly experimental magical theories to create a minor pocket dimension similar to the Sanctuary of Knowledge utilized by the lorekeepers, but on a different scale and with a different purpose: true preservation."

"Preservation of what?"

"The gryphon race."

Gilderoy's good eye widened and his jaw dropped. "What are you talking about? What does that mean, GAIA?"

"My apologies, Lorekeeper Gilderoy, but I am not permitted to answer any direct requests from you."

"What does that mean, GAIA?" asked Twilight, stepping forward and setting her hoof on Gilderoy's shoulder; she could tell he was shaken and needed some support.

GAIA blinked her eyes a few times. "The Lorekeepers utilize the Sanctuary of Knowledge for storing information and research developments in a fashion and format that allows them to be unaffected by the ravages of time, such as biodegradation. It does so via the use of pocket dimensional magic to significantly slow the passage of time. The Rebirth Initiative's ambitious next step was to create a pocket dimension where time itself did not operate at all."

Winter and Hourglass's eyes widened. "What?" they said together.

"Are you serious?" Winter continued. "The amount of power needed to operate Chronomancy of that specific type for an extended period of time is astronomical." She turned to Twilight, tilting her head towards Hourglass. "There's a wing at HQ where we stay in until we're picked up as an apprentice. It operates usin' that same type of magic."

"That's why I saw Winter leave when she was younger than me, then she walked right back in more than twice my age," Hourglass clarified. "It all happened in an instant, from my perspective."

Winter turned to the computer. "You're tellin' me this 'Rebirth' thing was doin' somethin' like that?"

"Correct," answered GAIA. "The Rebirth Initiative relied on concentrated fields of time magic—Chronomancy—to operate. Techno-Sage Genesis based most of her research on the order of Chronomancers and was briefly assisted in the project by the Chronomancer Night Owl. The intent was to create a pocket dimension that would not preserve data, but preserve life."

"Night Owl, huh?" Winter muttered, stroking her chin. "Yeah, alright, that checks out; I know a few of our agents interacted with the gryphons a long time ago, and that's pretty ancient stuff there. You said this was just before the gryphons moved up north?"

"Correct."

"Then it would have been some time after the southern civil war." Winter nodded at Gilderoy. "Maybe this 'Genesis' sheila was worried that there was more war on the horizon and was tryin' to protect your people from what ended up happenin'?"

Gilderoy, looking a mixture of spooked and engaged, licked his beak and nodded. "Perhaps. Ask her for more details, if you would?"

Winter nodded and turned back to GAIA. "So, uh… what's the deal with this project? Did it work?"

"The Rebirth Initiative was deemed a near-complete success."

"And what the hell does 'near-complete' mean?"

"The pocket dimension was successfully created and utilized to preserve the gryphon race in the event of an apocalyptic scenario. The final process has yet to be activated, however, so the project has not yet been deemed a total success.

"Regardless of this, as no complications were foreseen by Techno-Sage Genesis or her peers, the project was deemed Momentous. Should the project ever be brought to its intended conclusion, it will have properly earned the designation. Otherwise, I will update its status in the database."

"'Momentous'?" Twilight asked, glancing at Gilderoy.

"Certain projects that are developed by the gryphons are considered to be so impactful that they completely change the course of the world," Gilderoy said quietly. "The invention of the wand was the first, followed by the development of our terraforming technomagic program, then the Arcanium and GAIA herself, and the last was supposedly the Beacons."

"And if the project succeeds, it would be the fifth. Or the third or fourth, chronologically." Twilight nodded in understanding. "It certainly sounds like it would be 'momentous', assuming it worked. The ability to create a 'bunker' where creatures can take shelter during a disaster and then emerge in exactly the same state that they entered… that could save a lot of lives."

"We're not thinking of using it to put folks into to try and survive the end of the world, are we?" Hourglass asked, eyes wide. "'Cause I'm pretty sure that won't work."

"Right," said Winter. "Void magic is indiscriminate. You could make the pocket dimension, sure, but then the Void would just eat everything around it, and then there'd be two outcomes after the Void eats whatever is creating it: either you just pop right back out and die instantly like everything else, or you'd be stuck in your pocket dimension forever with no way out."

"That wasn't what I was thinking, no, but thank you for that wonderfully morbid clarification," Twilight muttered, scrunching up her nose at the distaste of either of those scenarios. "I was just commenting that it sounded like a good idea. For, y'know… regular disasters. Like hurricanes and earthquakes."

"So this was just a test, right?" Winter asked GAIA. "I'm assumin' that it never got finished?"

"Incorrect," GAIA replied. "The Rebirth Initiative had completed testing and was fully operational. The first official usage of the project is currently ongoing."

Twilight, Winter, Hourglass, and Gilderoy all shared brief looks. "Wait," Winter said, holding up her hoof. "Are you tellin' me there are livin', breathin' gryphons involved with this project? And that they're in some kind of pocket dimension right now?"

"Incorrect. The project does not have any living gryphons involved."

"So what does it have?"

"Eggs," Gilderoy said simply, his expression such a mix of emotions that Twilight couldn't decipher it. "If the project was intended to ensure the survival of the species, the two logical methods of doing so would be to preserve a clutch of eggs, or to preserve an abundance of fertile females with at least one virile male."

Twilight nodded slowly. "And since GAIA denied the latter…" She looked at GAIA's screen. "So you have gryphon eggs stored here in some sort of pocket dimension?"

"Correct. The Rebirth Initiative pocket dimension currently contains one hundred unhatched gryphon eggs kept in time stasis so that they do not hatch or expire, as well as enough fast-growing crops and a water purifier to last such a population for twenty years."

"Are you hearing this?!!" Hourglass exclaimed, practically shaking Winter. "The gryphons aren't extinct! We can save them!"

Twilight noticed Gilderoy slumping back in the chair, tears of joy starting to form in his eye. "GAIA, how are these gryphons meant to survive after they hatch?" she asked. "I know you said something about crops and water, but they're just chicks at that point."

"Correct. In my capacity as caretaker of the Elysian Islands, it will be my responsibility to ensure that the gryphon hatchlings are properly nourished, educated, and cared for until they are of age to do so for themselves. As for ensuring that they survive that long, the gateway into the pocket dimension is stored within this facility, which is built to resist an explosive force of over sixty megatons."

Winter held up her hoof. "Wait a second, how is it supposed to activate if no gryphons are alive to activate it? This project exists in case there aren't any gryphons left, right? Do you do it automatically or somethin'? 'Cause if you do, uh… what's the hold up?"

"Correct. The project's deadline was deemed to be four hundred years, at which point the project would be activated regardless of other circumstances. According to my calculations, we are beyond the deadline by hundreds of years.

"The project has not been activated automatically due to the Elysian Islands being decommissioned prior to the exodus north. My programming does not permit me to take further action, as I am not an independent system and cannot make such decisions on my own. I can assist with the process, but it will need to be activated by a User."

"Well now, ain't that lucky?" Winter chuckled, throwing her hoof around Twilight's shoulder. "We've got a bunch of Users right here!"

Hourglass pumped her hoof in the air. "Yes! Do it! We gotta do it!"

Twilight smiled and nudged Gilderoy. "Looks to me like we found something of use up here after all, huh Gilderoy? We can give your people a second chance."

"Indeed…" Gilderoy murmured, looking so impossibly floored by all of this that he could barely move. Twilight couldn't blame him; she couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose all of the ponies back home in the first place, let alone to learn that she could get them all back.

"Well?" Winter huffed, looking at GAIA. "What're ya waitin' for, eh? Get that Rebirth thing started up already!"

"Right away, Chronomancer Winter," GAIA said. "Opening the Rebirth Initiative gateway to transport the containment units. Please stand clear. This process will take approximately two minutes."

The central power station whirred louder than it had been before, as did several other mechanisms, as the Arcanium began loading up the project's parameters. A panel opened up nearby, revealing an emitter of some kind that projected a light onto the floor. Within seconds, the group saw actual matter being created by this light. Twilight was baffled at the level of technology and magic needed to perform such a task.

Once two minutes had passed, the emitter shut down and retreated into its panel. The group was now faced with a trio of large containers with translucent tops so that they could see inside them. In one container was a large device that Twilight recognized as a water purifier. She had seen similar devices in Hope's Point and had them explained to her; they were used to provide water to citizens by converting any sort of water, no matter how dirty, contaminated, or salty, into fresh, potable water.

In the second container was a heap of packets filled with fast-growing seeds of all manners of crops: potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, oranges, etc. Twilight was used to seeing seed packets back at Sweet Apple Acres years ago, though these seemed a little different, probably because of that "fast-growing" aspect.

In the third container were a series of divots designed to precisely hold egg-shaped objects, and in each of these divots—all one hundred of them—was a colorful egg. Twilight knew that nopony else here had ever seen a gryphon egg before, but they looked exactly like the griffin eggs at home. The entire fate of the gryphon race was sitting right there in that little box.

"Wow…" Hourglass breathed, pressing her nose against the container. "Look at them all." She waved the younger kids over. "Come on! Come look!" All three immediately moved to take a look themselves.

"So now what?" Winter asked. "Is that it, GAIA?"

"No, Chronomancer Winter, this was merely the transmission process. The containers are now out of time stasis and are nearly ready to be interacted with. The next step is for me to deactivate the dormancy protocols on the eggs' container in order to engage them in the hatching process. One moment."

The Arcanium's power structure churned louder still, and several more lights came on to indicate that the amount of power being generated was staggeringly high, by Twilight's judgement. So much so apparently that the power structure was now letting off a high-pitched whine.

"Holy shit, what the hell is that?" Winter grunted as she held her ears. "GAIA, what's goin' on?"

"Error. System failure detected," GAIA announced. "The Arcanium's power level is too low to complete the process at present time."

Twilight tilted her head. "What? How is that possible? I thought this entire facility was powered by a perpetual motion device?"

"The Arcanium's power supply has deteriorated due to age and neglect and is no longer operating at peak capacity. Without a significant increase to the power source, the Arcanium systems cannot generate enough energy to properly proceed with the Rebirth Initiative parameters while also maintaining flight to this island."

"And if this island falls, the others will too," Gilderoy sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes. "GAIA and the Arcanium keep the entire island chain connected together. If the Arcanium is destroyed, the other islands' generators won't receive proper signals to maintain their proper power. They would simply burn through it."

"Why don't we have enough energy though?" Hourglass blurted, looking right at GAIA. "You said you just needed to deactivate some 'dormancy protocols' or something."

"Correct, but the dormancy protocols are in place to protect the contents of these containers from side-effects of the Chronomancy within the sub-dimension, such as rapid acceleration of time, backwards movement of time, or a permanent time stasis effect even outside of the sub-dimension. This requires a great deal of power to deactivate."

"But why don't you have enough power?" Winter asked, frustrated. "You've kept this entire system online for hundreds of years in a dormant state, but now you're tellin' me you don't have enough juice to make this work?!"

"Correct. The power requirements for the project were substantial, but the Arcanium was designed with enough power to handle such a task, and the Initiative was designed with the expectation of being activated at the deadline. Additional time has drained the power systems, as is the current process of reconfiguring the Beacon Key per your specifications."

Hourglass paled. "Oh. You mean… it's our fault?"

Winter rolled her eyes. "Don't start with that blame game shit. You heard her: the gryphons moved north and didn't know about this project, so it didn't activate like it was supposed to. There's gotta be a solution here." She turned to the computer again. "GAIA, how much power do ya need?"

"As the Arcanium operates on techno-magic, the power generator does not require standard electrical units of power, but magical units. An Arcane power source equal in strength to an average unicorn's full potential would be sufficient. I have adjusted the terms to make sense within pony-centric units of measuring magical energy as a courtesy to the current users."

"Arcane power?" Twilight asked, tilting her head. "What kind of power source is that?"

"It's one of the fundamental sources of magic in the universe," Gilderoy explained, stroking his beard. "Light and Dark, and Void and Arcane. The latter two are naturally much rarer and harder to understand, but any philosopher of magic could tell you that for every force of magical power in existence, there is an equal and opposite opposing force.

"Light opposes Dark and is equal in nature; an equivalent unit of magical power in one is the same in the other. The same is true of Void magic and its opposite, Arcane magic." Gilderoy gestured towards the slot his wand was in. "We gryphons harnessed this power source and used it to make our wands. That is why they are capable of performing feats with such ease despite being artificial."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Look, mate, I've studied Void magic for a long time, and I've never heard of no such thing as bloody 'Arcane' magic."

"I agree," Twilight said, giving Gilderoy a curious look. "Isn't 'arcane' simply a synonym for 'magic'?"

"Yes and no. In mundane terms, yes, in the same way that shade is a synonym for darkness, lower case 'd'. But then there's Darkness—capital 'D'—which is a classification of energy in and of itself," Gilderoy explained. "I doubt that there's a way for me to really prove to you what I'm saying, but that is the case."

"Okay, so… assuming that that is all true, we need an Arcane power source equivalent to an average unicorn's strength. You said that your wand uses Arcane power too, so… we should be able to use that, right?" Twilight turned to the computer. "GAIA, can we use the Lorekeeper's wand to power the generator?"

"Negative. Lorekeeper Gilderoy is not permitted to access the project, and as such his wand's signature will not be allowed as an acceptable power source," GAIA said simply. "I do apologize."

"Drat. Okay, well, I don't suppose any of us could serve as that power source?"

"None of the unicorns present possess enough Arcane power to utilize as a power source, Princess Twilight. All of the unicorns present utilize Light magical energy, and not enough to convert into the needed Arcane energy."

Twilight sighed. "I figured as much—"

"However, you possess more than sufficient Arcane power to meet the requirements yourself, Princess Twilight."

Twilight, Gilderoy, and Winter stared at GAIA's face on the monitor. "What?" the three asked in unison.

"What do you mean, I possess sufficient Arcane power? I thought you said that all of the unicorns present used Light energy?"

"Correct, but you are neither a unicorn, nor is your innate magical signature one of Light. It is of the Arcane spectrum."

"That's impossible," Winter scoffed. "We've taken readings of her power multiple times over the past month just to find out how she was balancin' the Darkness that Nihila's creatin', eh? If she weren't Light magic, then the numbers would be much different."

Gilderoy tapped his chin and snapped his talon at Winter, eyes widening. "Not necessarily. Arcane magic opposes Void magic. It's possible that the reason why the Void isn't able to overwhelm the world despite the imbalance is because of Twilight's Arcane signature standing in opposition to it. It would stand that it might throw off the numbers somewhere."

Winter balked. "That… okay, that sounds… reasonable. Assumin' you're right about this whole 'Arcane' thing, eh?"

"Let's worry about that later," Twilight said firmly. "If GAIA says I can power up this device, then let me do it." A pause. "How do I do that, GAIA?"

"Deploying siphon, configuring for alicorn horn. One moment please, Princess Twilight," GAIA said.

A few seconds later, another panel opened up alongside the Arcanium's main power structure, revealing an odd-looking device laden with wires and clips that appeared as though it could attach to Twilight's horn in some fashion. Twilight wasted no time in walking over to it and getting herself attached, though it was slightly uncomfortable once it was on.

"Okay, so now what do I do?" she asked.

"Siphon your magical energy into the device by channeling your magic but not focusing on any particular spell. The device will absorb your magic at a consistent pace so long as you maintain concentration."

"Right, sounds easy enough. Here goes, I guess," Twilight muttered.

Twilight lit up her horn as she was asked, and—

"Siphoning complete. Power requirements have been met at one hundred fifty percent. Continuing with Rebirth Initiative procedures. Please stand by."

Twilight blinked and immediately stopped channeling her magic. "What? Say that again?"

"Siphoning complete. Power requirements have been met at one hundred fifty percent. Continuing with Rebirth Initiative procedures. Please stand by."

"But… but I only channeled my magic for a second."

"Correct, Princess Twilight. That was sufficient enough to power the process."

Twilight looked to Winter, then Gilderoy, then to GAIA. "But I thought you needed the entire magical reserves of an average unicorn?"

"Correct. You provided that amount."

"In a single second?"

"Correct."

Winter scoffed. "Shit, I knew you were powerful, Twilight, but that takes the cake." She looked at GAIA's screen. "If she'd have been usin' Light magic, how long would that have taken?"

"Calculating. Converting Light energy to Arcane energy would exponentially increase the power requirement by a factor of twenty."

"So… twenty seconds?"

"Incorrect. Light energy is substantially weaker than Arcane, hence the conversion difference. Were Princess Twilight's magical signature keyed to Light magic, it would take roughly twenty minutes."

"Yikes!" Winter hissed, patting Twilight on the flank. "I don't know if you can count that as proof or not, but she sure makes herself sound confident, doesn't she? Let's see, a little bit of math here…" She tilted her head left to right and she tended to when she was performing calculations in her head, then looked at Gilderoy. "You think this is multiplicative or exponential here?"

"Multiplicative," was Gilderoy's simple answer.

"Oh, thank the stars for that," Winter laughed. "So, you're about as strong as four hundred unicorns, Twi. Eh, give or take." She looked at GAIA. "Right?"

"Your calculations are correct, Chronomancer Winter. Based on the measurements I took while connected with Princess Twilight, I was able to calculate an average of four hundred times the magical power of an average-strength unicorn, were that unicorn capable of generating Arcane energy."

Twilight removed herself from the apparatus and shook her head in disbelief. "Ponies back home always used to make a big deal about how strong I am with magic, but… I never expected to have a computer tell me just how powerful I am in such concrete terms. It's a little… overwhelming, I guess."

"It certainly explains why you're so bright when I look at you without my goggles on," Sunspire chipped in. "Miss Dawn is almost as bright as you are! Do you think that means that she's an Arcane unicorn too?"

"She'd have to be to be anywhere near Twilight's level of power," Gilderoy said with a soft smile. He turned to GAIA and sighed. "GAIA, now that the Rebirth Initiative project seems to be a success, would it be possible to make its classified information available to me?"

"Processing," GAIA chirped. "Yes, Lorekeeper Gilderoy. As per my guidelines with the classified nature of this project, should it prove successful it is to become marked as a Momentous undertaking and as such will be available to the public to review and research. The classified aspects are available with your Lorekeeper permissions."

"Good. Then that confirms at least that the eggs are in good condition as well," Gilderoy said, wiping a tear from his eye. He looked right at Twilight, taking her hoof in his talon. "My people have a second chance at life now, thanks to you, Princess Twilight. There is nothing in this world or the next that I could possibly do to thank you for this."

"You don't need to thank me for doing what's right, Lorekeeper," Twilight replied, giving him a smile and shaking his talon gently. "Like the zebras say, you would just as soon thank the moons for rising every night, right?"

He let out a laugh, then nodded and clasped her hoof with both talons. "You are a good pony, Twilight Sparkle. I look forward to seeing your world when this is all said and done. There is nothing but confidence in my mind that you will see this through and save us all."

"I sure hope so, Gilderoy. Thank you for your vote of confidence." Twilight glanced back at the eggs, then let out a breath and nodded. "We should be getting back to the port so that we can get ready for our flight. Do you want to stay here for a while? We can send somepony here to retrieve you later if you want."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, thank you. And yes, it would be best if you get and the others get going. You have a short journey ahead, true, but there is much to be done on the horizon."

"I'll make sure Blackburn and Gray know about what happened here. I know that we're all going to end up in my world eventually anyway, but we don't know where everyone's going to end up just yet. I figure they should know in case they can send any resources to help you with what's happening."

Gilderoy smiled. "Thank you for that as well, Princess. Now go on," he said, releasing her from his grip. "You have a flight to catch."

Twilight turned to the others, most of whom were gathered around the egg container. "Okay everypony, gather around, we have to get going."

The younger ponies looked a little disappointed, but they all nodded and, after giving hugs good-bye to Gilderoy, gathered up near Twilight. Winter joined in too, and she was just eyeing Twilight the entire time with just the proudest grin that she had ever seen on a pony's face while looking at her, at least since her parents heard Princess Celestia personally accept her into her school.

As Twilight lit her horn, Gilderoy said one last thing: "And Twilight?"

"Yes, Gilderoy?"

"Good luck."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you. You too."

And with a flash and a pop, she and the others disappeared.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Rest

The group arrived back at Hope's Point in the early evening, this time aboard a smaller vessel known as the Southern Sun, a cargo/passenger combination vessel that could barely hold their entire party in one trip but was supposedly much faster than most other ships in the fleet.

Considering how quickly they managed to get from Newhaven to Hope's Point, Twilight was inclined to agree, though she was beginning to wonder why all of the ships in Hope's Point's fleet were unique like this instead of uniform. Was it to provide a sense of freedom and individuality?

Nevertheless, the arrival of the queen back at Hope's Point was not met with a lot of fanfare, as Twilight knew she herself would have to expect and deal with were she in Blackburn's position. Twilight was beginning to envy Her Majesty's control over such things; if she didn't want a grand entrance, there wasn't one; if she wanted to be left alone, she was; if she wanted everypony in her employ to give her information now, they would.

There were no silly traditions or laws or guidelines to work around; Blackburn just asked—not demanded—and it was done. Twilight guessed that was just the benefit of the city being so young and Blackburn only being the third generation ruler. Maybe in a thousand years Hope's Point would be different; maybe in a thousand years, her own Equestria would be different too.

There was only one pony actually waiting for them who was of any importance: Havoc. Other than her it was just workers waiting to help unload cargo off of the Southern Sun.

Havoc looked stressed, to put it in a word; she was tapping her hoof anxiously on the floor while waiting for everyone to disembark. Otherwise she was still the same Havoc that they'd left behind, which was a good sign, Twilight hoped.

"Havoc," Blackburn acknowledged, stepping forward to shake the other mare's hoof. "Wasn't expecting welcome party; asked Council to give me an hour to situate guests."

"Yeah, well, I'm not part of your Council, Queen Bee, I don't gotta listen to ya," Havoc said simply with a coy grin. "Besides, I've got news to deliver, and yeah, okay, it can wait, but I figured that you're all gonna wanna hear this so why not just rip the bandaid off now, right?"

"Hmm. Unpleasant news, obviously. Good news can always wait." Blackburn gestured for the others to follow towards the elevator at the end of the hangar corridor. "Come, will arrange meeting." She turned to Gadget. "Where to, Gadget?"

"Meeting Chamber Seven is open at the moment," Gadget said, tapping the side of her goggles. "It oughta be spacious enough for us."

"Good, book it."

As they were walking towards the elevator, and eventually boarding it and riding it up, Havoc asked, "So, I take it things worked out down south, right? I mean, obviously we got word that it did, but I dunno, I'd like to hear it directly from you. You won't skimp on details face-to-face."

"All negotiations successful," Blackburn said with a firm nod. "Harmonia prepared to depower Beacon, prepared to deal with Nihila if she tries to escape into Dreaming. Zebras on board with allowing Gilderoy to shut down Beacon; Gilderoy en route to Zeb'ra'den now aboard the Astral Hurricane, fastest small transport in the fleet. Will deactivate southern Beacon tomorrow night; our teams must be in place by then."

"I heard it was Gray that worked things out with the zebras?" Havoc asked, tilting her head to look at her sister with a curious grin. "How'd you make that happen, sis? Like I said, the details were pretty slim."

"I put everything on the line and challenged the biggest, baddest zebra in the room to a fight," Gray said simply, staring straight forward but with a little grin on her lips. "Then I proceeded to kick his ass."

Havoc's grin turned into a smile. "No way, that's awesome. How big was he?"

Gray held her hoof up just a few inches above her own head. "About that tall and built to match."

"Holy shit, I didn't know they built 'em that high." Havoc turned to Zircon and Zyra. "Is that normal? I don't know much about zebras and stuff, but I know that Gray's kinda freakishly big for a pegasus, so I figured I'd ask if this guy was freaky big for your people too."

Zircon chuckled. "Warlord Ziggurat hath a reputation as one of the largest of our kind, mayhap the largest of this generation, though I knowest not for certain. 'Tis possible that one of the common folk is larger, but I hath never met such an individual." He nodded at Gray. "Ambassador Gray didst fight valiantly; much respect was garnered for her, and thus for New Pandemonium."

"Not that I was really doing it for New Pandemonium," Gray noted with a shrug. "I just wanted to get our plan moving along, and I kinda wanted to smack the attitude off of the guy's face."

Blackburn smirked. "Forgetting something?"

Gray blinked, then snorted and shook her head. "I don't think that that's important."

"Disagree. Havoc would find amusing."

Havoc raised an eyebrow. "Oh, now you gotta tell me."

Gray sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Ziggurat proposed to me after he recovered. Well, not proposed, 'cause he's already married, but offered me one of those things like what Rarity wears. Said I was the first mare he'd ever met that had ever 'lit such a fire in his gut' before."

Havoc blinked, then laughed.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, shortstack. I'm just glad I had the immediate excuse that I'm already married on hoof. Would've be awkward trying to come up with something else."

"Aye, 'tis the simplest method of dissuading a potential suitor," Zircon agreed.

Havoc, still laughing, managed to squeeze in a question. "So this big dude wanted to, what, make giant foals with you or somethin'? 'Cause that's where my first thought goes."

Gray grumbled something under her breath, then nodded. "I believe his exact words were, 'our foals wouldst conquer the world'."

"Pffft!"

Flathoof sighed and shook his head. "I'm just glad I didn't have to fight the guy off for my wife's hoof or something. I'd have done it in a heartbeat, but thankfully he just accepted it and dropped the issue entirely."

Gray gave Flathoof a smile and patted his cheek. "Aww, babe, it's cute that you think you would've needed to handle him by yourself."

When the elevator reached the palace, everyone disembarked and made a beeline for the meeting room that Blackburn had arranged, which turned out to be a cozy fit with everyone seated around a table; not a single chair was left empty, but nobody had to remain standing.

"Alright Havoc, updates," Blackburn said, steepling her hooves and leaning towards the smaller pegasus.

Havoc took a breath and set down a datapad that she'd been carrying with her, which she tapped a few times to create some holographic displays that everyone in the room would be able to see. The first image looked like some sort of outpost or base camp of some kind; even in Twilight's own Equestria, they had such things, though they were typically smaller these days and operated by only a few guards at best. Nor did they look so advanced, obviously.

"Curaçao's been busting her ass getting a forward camp set up near the Redblade Mountains to the west of New Pandemonium," Havoc noted, staring at the image on display. "The camp was finally established about five days ago and immediately began running scouting missions using AMP Troopers; they're cheap, disposable, and they don't complain when we send 'em flying around volcanoes."

"Good use of them," Blackburn agreed, squinting her eyes at the image.

"And it was working out pretty well, too, at least until the whole damn place started spewing out smoke and ash and shit," Havoc grunted.

She swiped her hoof along her datapad screen, and the image of the base zoomed out to show an image of the volcanoes behind it, which were just pouring smoke out into the sky above.

"The entire mountain range?" asked Gray, tilting her head. "You mean all of the volcanoes are active right now?"

"Volcanoes always active," Blackburn clarified. "However, usually in a perpetual 'flow' state. This is different, unnerving. Change in volcanic activity could mean eruptions; eruptions along entire range, disastrous for both northern cities." She tilted her head. "How long ago was this?"

"The smoke started about two days ago," Havoc noted with a nod. "And it's been getting worse. By tomorrow you'll be able to see the smoke from here in Hope's Point. It's mostly spewing out from the central and eastern sides, luckily; Hope's Point itself isn't seeing this from the west just yet."

"Concentrated, implies that it serves a purpose," Blackburn hummed.

"I think it pretty much confirms Curaçao's theory that Nihila's cultists fled into the volcanic regions," Gray said, gesturing at the image. "Maybe they're responsible for this and are trying to hide. Seeing a bunch of AMPs flying around might've spooked 'em."

"That's exactly what Curie said," Havoc agreed. "A few hours before this all started, the AMPs spotted what looked like some sort of encampment around one of the big volcanoes in the central region. The biggest one, actually, if the data's accurate. Curie thinks that's where they're gathering the material they used to make the dagger that nearly killed Velvet."

Blackburn leaned back and rapped her hoof on the table. "Have heard little about this 'material'. Curaçao keeps details secret. Why?"

"She did tell me a few things about the stuff, but for the most part it's just specifics about what it can do. I'll send the file your way after we're done here so you can read up about it."

Twilight vaguely remembered something about this strange "material" that Havoc and Blackburn were talking about; Gray had mentioned the attempt on Velvet's life during their journey together in the south, if only because it all seemed connected to Nihila and everyone was trying their best to get all their information out in the open.

Some sort of obsidian-like substance that was not just magic-proof, but had managed to disabled Velvet's magical powers? The very concept of it disturbed Twilight greatly; anti-magic materials were excessively rare and expensive in her world, and from what she could gather, the same applied to this world too. This dagger sounded quite dangerous; Twilight was glad it was nowhere near her.

"That's not the last of it either," Havoc continued, swiping her screen again to update the picture; the smoke in the sky was now glowing with fire. "A few hours ago, I got the last report from the NPAF camp before they packed up and fucked off outta there. They reported movement in the smoke."

"Movement?" Blackburn asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yup. With all the smoke they can't get a clear picture, but there's a lot of movement in there. The current thought is that these cultists managed to put together airships of their own and are hiding them in the smoke."

Blackburn hummed and rapped her hoof on the table again. "Sensible theory, logical choice of action: need airships to combat the NPAF and Hope's Point. Preparing for an attack, know we're coming? Perhaps. Lack of information troubling, don't know enemy's capabilities." She took a breath. "Problematic."

"I guess this means it's a good thing we're planning on moving forward with our own agenda right away," Twilight said with a nod. "It looks to me like Nihila's forces are preparing to make a move. Whatever it is, we'll be ready for them."

Blackburn nodded as well. "Gilderoy will deactivate southern Beacon tomorrow night at sundown in New Pandamonium time zone; Pandemonia will be at northern Beacon doing the same, simultaneously." She looked at Havoc. "Understand Dawn worked with your father, made adjustments to Beacon for Pandemonia?"

"Yeah, Dawn says that they got that all settled up and the Beacon will be ready to deactivate. Pandemonia just needs to start the process."

"Excellent. Fleets are coordinated, ready to work together?"

Havoc smiled and saluted. "Damn straight, Queen Bee. Fleet Master Highwind and Admiral Jetstream might as well be brothers with how well they're working in tandem. They're already putting together fleet patterns for an attack on whatever the hell these cultists are hiding in the smoke."

"Also excellent. Beacon shutdown coordinated, large-scale strategy coordinated. Will fly at head of the Hope's Point fleet myself; Wyvern prepared, wants payback. Will avenge Briarthorn."

Rarity balked. "You're planning on partaking in the fighting yourself, dear? Are you certain that's the right thing to do?"

"Never backed down from challenge before, not the sort to stay home, let others do the work." Blackburn shook her head, then gave Rarity a little smile. "Don't worry about me. Supposedly best pilot in the fleet."

"Be that as it may—"

Lockwood set his hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "Blackburn knows what she's doing. The fleet will fight better if they know their queen is right there with them on the front lines. I know you're worried; I'm worried too. But you and I both know that Blackburn doesn't let anypony push her around, not even some evil alien goddess of death, or whatever Nihila actually is."

"I know, I just…" Rarity sighed. "I'm just going to be worried sick, that's all." She turned to Lockwood. "You're not putting yourself in harm's way too, are you, love? I know that you have a bad habit."

"No, not this time. I'll be staying here in Hope's Point to keep our citizens calm and to coordinate rescue efforts if they're needed. We didn't even know Nihila was actually planning anything at all, and we don't know what she's planning, so somepony needs to be here in case something happens."

Rarity let out a breath, then patted her hoof on his and nodded. "Good. At the very least I can know that one of you is keeping safe." She gave Blackburn a firm look, eyes narrowed. "You'd better come back to us, you hear me?"

Blackburn smiled. "Wouldn't dream of doing elsewise."

Gray nudged Flathoof in the ribs. "You're staying with your brother and the kids, by the way."

Flathoof blinked. "What? But I thought—"

"Nah. You're staying, that's that. Don't make me explain it."

He paused for a moment, mouth slightly open, then gulped, nodded and clasped his hooves together. "I get it. Somepony's gotta keep an eye on my idiot brother besides just Crossfire, if only to make sure he doesn't do something stupid and put himself in harm's way, as he sometimes likes to do."

Lockwood scoffed in mock offense. "Flathoof, I'm hurt. Why does everypony keep suggesting that, hmm? When have I ever done anything stupid that put me in harm's way?"

Flathoof grunted, then looked at Pattycake. "Probably best if I keep an eye on you, too, sis."

"Psh, me? Why?" Pattycake grunted. "I'm not gonna go running off to do something stupid like our galiant brother."

"True, but when you tell Mom what you and Crossfire cooked up down south, she's gonna be all over you like white on rice. You're gonna need somepony to make sure you don't get suffocated with all that 'grandkid' business."

Pattycake hummed and nodded. "Fair."

"Everyone else heads north to New Pandemonium," Blackburn said, looking around the room at those who weren't staying here. "Dawn and Curaçao arranging matters with Beacon, other plans to combat Nihila." She nodded at Twilight. "Fighting superpowered evil face-to-face, not my specialty. Sounds more suited to you."

Twilight shook her head and sighed. "I guess if we're all being honest here, I do have an awful lot of experience fighting against powerful, evil villains face-to-face. I wish that I didn't, but I do." She looked at her friends from her own world and smiled. "We all do, in a sense."

"That's right!" Rainbow said, pumping her hoof. "If anypony knows how to take down bad guys out to conquer the world, it's us! And about time, too, 'cause I've been itching for a chance to show off and kick some butt."

"Me too!" Pinkie said, hoofbumping Dash. "I've got some big plans for how to really kick some baddie booty, y'know?" She turned to Fluttershy. "You ready, Shyshy? You ready to kick some tail?!"

Fluttershy blinked, looked at the others, then twirled her hoof around in the air slowly. "Um… woo hoo?"

"Flight arranged to leave at dawn tomorrow morning," Blackburn said, rising from her seat; everyone else in the room did the same. "Tonight, rest, or whatever else you feel should be done. Prepare for fight ahead, whatever that might be." She took a breath and nodded to herself. "Have confidence in success, but failure… still possible. Make use of time."

"Everyone's rooms are still set up exactly as they were before we left," Lockwood continued with a grin. "So, y'know, go ahead and unpack, unwind, whatever you want. If you're hungry, room service is available as always, or if anypony wants to go out to dinner that's fine too. You all know the drill by now, I think."

There was a general murmur around the room as everypony went off to go do whatever they wanted to do with whomever they wanted to do it with. Twilight didn't really pay much attention to who was going with who and where and what, because really she didn't want to know any details; everypony was going to find a way to enjoy themselves and relax.

Blackburn was absolutely right: as confident as they all were that this was all going to work out, there was no guarantee that they'd all make it. They didn't know what they were up against, and Nihila wasn't out to conquer and take prisoners.

What Twilight did know was who she was spending her time with right now: Winter Glow. As she and Winter headed back towards their rooms to put their suitcases away, she started thinking about what they could do together now that they were back in the north and not on the road anymore.

"I was thinking we could maybe go get dinner together," Twilight suggested, her face just a little red. "Y'know, like a… a date? We didn't really have much of a chance to do anything like that down south. They don't exactly have any romantic restaurants on the road, y'know?"

"No, I guess we didn't," Winter replied. "I've never been on a date before, actually. Have you?"

"Oh, goodness, no," Twilight chuckled. "I mean, not like a… a romantic date, anyway. Lunch dates with my friends don't count. I've been single pretty much my entire life, actually. Heh…" She cleared her throat. "But I read books about what kind of things ponies do on dates, so I think I can figure something out for us.

"First is choosing a location together! I know that you happen to like hayburgers and hayfries, so I could look up some of the highest-rated joints in the city and we can take our pick. I also figure that we should find one that serves beer, because I know you like to drink while you're eating, and—"

Winter rubbed her temple. "Twilight, did you seriously read a book to learn how to go on a date?"

"Um… yes. Yes I did."

"Crikey, you are such a nerd."

Twilight blushed and rubbed her neck. "Aha… y-yeah, I guess I am…"

Winter smirked and used her magic to pull on the collar of Twilight's sweater so they were face-to-face. "But you're my nerd," she said, pecking Twilight on the lips.

Twilight hummed out a laugh; it came dangerously close to a giggle.

"So, out of curiosity, what did those books of yours say about what comes after the date?" Winter asked with a sultry little grin. "'Cause I'll be honest, I'd rather we just skip to that part tonight."

"After the date?" Twilight repeated, blinking. She paused a moment, and then the gears clicked in place; her face suddenly felt very warm. "Oh. Oh. Um… w-well, I mean… isn't it a little soon for us to be—"

"Twilight?" Winter huffed.

"Yeah?"

"On the off chance that things don't work out tomorrow, I'd rather not die a virgin, ya get me?" She tilted her head towards the door behind her; Twilight hadn't even realized they'd stopped outside Winter's room. "So forget the date. We'll do that lovey-dovey stuff together after everything's said and done, when we'll have all the time in the world to debate over restaurants and schedules and all that.

"But now? Right now? I want you to follow me into my room—" She used her magic to twist the doorknob. "I want you to throw me onto my bed—" She pushed the door open. "And I want you to fuck me until I can't walk straight." She pulled Twilight closer again so that their noses were touching. "Is that clear?"

Twilight paused for about… half a second before scooping Winter up in her magic and carrying her into Winter's room, slamming the door behind her.

*****

Applejack stretched her legs and rolled her shoulders, and tried not to look like she was watching Zircon do the same. It was hard to do, actually; when he put on the training uniform here at the militia's gym, she could swear that he'd been poured straight into it. His muscles just pressed against the material so hard that they looked like they could burst out at any moment, even though she knew it wouldn't rip or tear from something so simple.

Nobody'd blame her for admiring the sight. She just didn't want to get caught.

She'd invited Zircon here tonight for one last spar before tomorrow; this was their final chance to get in some last-minute training and exercise. None of them knew what they'd be getting into or what they'd be required to do, or where they'd need to go, or if they'd even need to fight at all, but that didn't mean that they could just sit back, relax, and hope for the best. That might sit well with some of the others, but not for her, and not for him.

The sparring contest went as it always did, of course, which was to say that, after several days of training with Zircon both in his style and in her own, she'd learned enough to match him blow-for-blow. She considered this a huge accomplishment, as he was a seasoned warrior who trained his body every single day and who fought against beastly things frequently; she was just a farmer who learned how to buck as part of being an apple farmer, and who'd learned how to apply it in a fight from her brother.

So when she went in for a kick, she knew that he'd block it, but that didn't matter; what mattered was that he'd had to put effort in to resist the force of her kick, that he'd had to watch carefully where where she was aiming, that he'd need to react to the timing. If he was just a little off in any sense, she'd knock him out cold.

It also meant that when he would push for a counter, she was ready to defend herself and either blocked it if she could, or avoided it if she couldn't. There were much fewer glancing blows on her end than there had been when they were starting out, and steadily more on his; it wasn't difficult for either of them to avoid hurting one another while still giving it their all, but it still hurt sometimes.

And of course grapple holds were a thing, just a natural part of fighting hoof-to-hoof and apparently common with the fighting style Zircon was versed in and was training her in. She didn't mind how close they had to get to grapple one another, since that was just a normal part of it; it never got weird or distracting when she wrestled with Big Mac, so she didn't let it get that way with Zircon either.

But this time, there was something different. She'd been growing stronger over the last couple of weeks thanks to the intense training regimen she was being put through, but she didn't realize it until tonight.

At the moment, she was locked into a half-nelson/hammerlock combo which had her effectively pinned to the floor. Typically she would take a few attempts to get out of hold, and she had to do it quickly; the pressure it put into her neck was intense, and most of the time she had to tap out of it. She usually tried not to get locked into it in the first place, but Zircon was quick.

But when she made her first attempt to use her hind legs to kick against the floor to give herself some leverage, she found that it worked better than it usually did; either he hadn't finished getting into the proper position, or she just happened to hit a hard-enough spot in the floor to kick off of. Or, maybe, she was just that strong now.

In any case, the extra leverage was such that she was able to lift herself, and him, off of the floor enough to roll him over so that he was the one being pinned. While he still had a hold on her, he no longer had any leverage with which to put the pressure on, which gave her the opportunity to shift her body and legs around to clamp his head into a scissor lock.

He tried to kick with his hind legs to get out of it, but she was pressing down on his upper body with too much weight for him to move anywhere. His forelegs tried their damndest to pull her legs apart enough so that he could escape, but more than a decade of apple bucking gave her the strength to keep that from happening.

So he tapped out, and she released him. They took a moment to breathe before standing upright, and he gave her a proud little grin and clapped her shoulder. "'Twas a fine reversal," he breathed, taking a few seconds before he tried speaking again. "Thou art… getting stronger. 'Twas not… an easy hold… for you… to escape."

"Yeah, well… I had a… good teacher," she breathed back. She stepped over to her bag and grabbed a water bottle, took a drink, then passed it over to him so that he could do the same, then took a few more moments to catch her breath. "Hoo doggie, I think that's the first time I've ever gotten ya ta tap out, ain't it?"

"Aye, 'twas a mighty grip that thou didst place me in," he said with a nod. "Thou art a fearsome warrior now, Applejack. Thy presence shalt striketh fear into the hearts of thine enemies."

"Shucks, you're just sayin' that."

"Nay, 'tis the truth. Thou art fearsome and inspiring." He eyed her up and down, then hummed and nodded. "Aye, if thou didst don the armor of my people, thou wouldst inspire thy brethren to charge into any hellscape thou couldst imagine." With a grin, he added, "'Tis why I am here. Even without the armor, I wouldst follow thee into battle against any foe."

She bit her lip and nodded. "You're not so bad yerself, sugar. Sorry if I ain't got the same way wit' words that y'all do, but, uh… yeah."

He laughed one of those wonderfully mirthful laughs he had whenever she cracked a joke.

"C'mon, let's go get cleaned up a bit," she said, sealing up her gym bag and slapping his shoulder. "Figure we might as well call it fer the evenin', right?"

"Aye, 'twould be a wise idea. We hath much work ahead of us; 'tis to our benefit to relax some before we taketh to the battlefield."

She led him to the locker room and, as always, they stripped down and put their training gear into their locker before grabbing a large white towel each as well as shampoo. They then made their way towards the shower room at the back of the locker room, which was equipped with a number of private shower stalls, each one spacious enough for a pony to feel comfortable while they cleaned themselves.

Zircon headed into the first empty stall they found and closed the curtain behind him, and Applejack entered into the empty stall next to his…

Or rather, she made it look like that was what she was doing, while she checked to make sure nopony was looking. She knew that she likely only had one shot at this, and dammit, she was gonna take it. Satisfied that nopony would see her, she instead pulled open the curtain to Zircon's stall and scooted inside before anypony spotted her.

It was cramped with two of them in here. Oh well.

Zircon, who had just turned on the water, raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Applejack? What art thou—"

"Shut up, Mister Thou," she said, a sultry grin on her lips, before sealing the curtain behind her.

*****

The next morning, right at the crack of dawn, everyone who was going north was expected to meet in the hangar bay, not just to head out, but to say their temporary farewells to their friends and family who were staying here in Hope's Point. Blackburn and Gray Skies had the hardest time doing it, from what Twilight could tell. She supposed that that was because the two were mothers who… may or may not come home to their children.

Twilight had to admit that she herself was rather nervous; she didn't want to think the worst, but there was always a part of her brain that told her to consider all the possibilities, usually the bad ones.

But she pushed those thoughts out of her head. This was no time for doubts, no time for second-thoughts. This was the time for confidence, for leadership, and she'd already sworn to herself that nothing was going to stop her from making sure that everyone came out of this a-okay. So this wasn't goodbye that she was saying to Lockwood and Flathoof and Blackburn at all.

It was just "see you when this is all over". And that was a promise she intended to keep, no matter what.

Not everypony else seemed to look at it exactly the same way; confident though they might be, they were a little more… emotional about what was happening.

"Promise me that you'll take care of her," Rarity said to Gadget, almost in tears as she held the smaller mare's hooves. "Promise me that you won't let anything happen to my queen, please please please."

Gadget chuckled. "Golly, Rarity, you don't need to ask me to do that. My life is sworn to Blackburn as her bodyguard, my life is sworn to hers as her co-pilot, and my life is tied to hers as her best friend. I'd die before I let anything happen to her."

Rarity sniffed and shook her head before pulling Gadget in for a tight hug. "Ohh, don't say it like that. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt or worse trying to protect her, either. Keep both of you safe. Alright?"

"I will, Rarity. And hey, you make sure you stay safe too, okay?" Gadget glanced at Zyra. "You got that, Z? If there's a single scratch on her head or a single hair out of place on her mane, you know who's gonna take you to task for it, and I don't just mean me."

Zyra smirked. "No harm shall come to Lady Rarity so long as I still draw breath, Gadget. I am her sword and shield."

Rarity let out a wail. "Ohhh, stop talking like that! Nobody's going to get hurt and that's final!"

Blackburn chuckled and pulled Rarity in for a hug. "Don't worry, marshmallow. Everything will be okay."

Lockwood joined in the hug. "There's a bright future ahead for all of us, I'm sure of it. Being worried is okay, but there's no need for waterworks."

Gray, in her goodbye to Flathoof, was a lot less emotional, which was to be expected. "We'll take care of all of this lickity-split, and then we'll be back in time for a late dinner, just you watch."

"You don't have to pretend with me, honey. I know you're worried," Flathoof said. "I am too. We all are. But you don't need to hide it."

"Psh, I'm not worried. Do I look worried?" Gray snorted.

"No, but do you know how I can tell that you're worried even though you're trying to hide it?" he asked as he pulled her in for a hug.

"How?"

"You said 'lickity-split'."

Gray blinked, then sighed and shook her head as she returned the hug. "Yeah, okay, you caught me. I know we're gonna make this all work, but there's a part of me that's just worried about everything that's gonna happen."

He smiled and tightened the hug. "It's alright. I have faith in you. In everyone. This isn't the last we're all gonna see of each other, so don't start thinking that it is."

"Right." Gray turned to Green Guard and tilted her head towards the airship. "You're sure you wanna come with me, squirt?"

"Yeah," Green said, nodding firmly. "I might live here with you and Dad now, but… I was born alongside Sunspire and Serendipity. They're my friends. I don't know if there's anything we can do to help, or if Miss Velvet would even allow us to, but I want to be somewhere where I might be useful."

"You'll do great, kiddo," Flathoof said, tousling the colt's mane. "And remember, even if you're not a part of the action, I'm proud of you for standing up and offering."

Green smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

Twilight and the others all boarded the Lunar Spear once they'd all said their, again, temporary goodbyes, and everyone got themselves situated in the passenger cabin and ready to relax, eat some breakfast—the ship was supposedly a luxury liner that provided that kind of service—and prepare themselves however they could for what was to come.

As the ship was disembarking, making its way through the underwater tunnel before heading to the ocean surface, Twilight broke away from the others to head up to the cockpit. "Excuse me, Captain?" she asked; she hadn't gotten the captain's name yet. "Could I ask you a favor?"

The captain, locked in the glass tube in the center of the cockpit, just as Captain Ember Heart had been in the Comet Chaser, turned her attention to her just enough to stay on course. "Yes, Princess Twilight?" she asked.

"I wanted to make one stop before we go to New Pandemonium City: the Goldridge Checkpoint. I have a friend there who I want to see."

The captain considered that for a moment, then nodded. "That's fine with me, Princess. Just don't take too long, okay? We're not on a strict timetable or anything, but it's best if we don't dawdle."

"I won't take long, I promise."

It was a short trip to the Checkpoint from Hope's Point, only about an hour of flying at what the captain called a "cruising" speed, since the Lunar Spear wasn't equipped for supersonic flight. Twilight recognized the building from up here as she looked out the passenger cabin's windows, and the airship landed exactly in the same spot that Twilight had boarded another airship weeks ago to leave.

Twilight turned to her friends as she headed to the boarding ramp to disembark. "If anyone wants to come with me, I asked the captain to make a stop at the Checkpoint so that I could visit Aculeata. You don't have to come if you don't want to, and… actually, I think it's best if there's not too many of us. She might not like a big crowd."

Fluttershy raised her hoof. "Um, I'd like to meet her, if that's okay?"

"Sure! I was hoping you'd want to come along." Twilight looked to the others. "Anyone else?"

Only Winter, Hourglass, Sunspire, and Applejack volunteered; the others who hadn't met the Gargantuan queen yet were understandably wary of forming a big crowd, as Twilight had said, or maybe they just legitimately didn't have too much of an interest right this moment, which Twilight could respect. There was a lot going on right now; meeting new creatures and going through that many introductions would be distracting.

As the ship landed and the group disembarked, they were greeted by Pewter coming out of the Checkpoint building proper. The stallion was wearing a smile and his usual jacket, waving the group over. "Hey! Long time no see!" he shouted over the dying engine noises of the airship. "What're you guys doing here?"

"We're on our way up north to New Pandemonium," Twilight said, giving him a small smile of her own. "I wanted to drop by and see Aculeata beforehand, if I could. Is she still here?"

He nodded. "Oh, she is. In fact, I'm sure the airship probably attracted her attention. She might be around here some—"

There was a loud rumbling sound from the huge dirt pile nearby that Twilight was positive hadn't been there when they'd left. Out of said pile leaped the familiar figure of the Gargantuan queen; or rather, more accurately, the unfamiliar familiar figure, as the queen had clearly gone through another moulting since Twilight had last seen her.

Aculeata was still taller than Twilight, but now she of a much less monstrous height; actually, she was roughly the same size as Queen Chrysalis was, an easy comparison to make since Twilight had her statue in the palace gardens, after all.

Her wings were on full display at last but now resembled a dragonfly's instead of a wasp's. The membranous substance along her head and neck now properly resembled a mane, reddish-pink in color, but it wasn't terribly long yet. Her eyes now fully resembled those of Queen Chrysalis as well, only orange instead of green. Her body and especially her legs were now significantly more equine in shape; the latter were punctuated with holes and ended in sharp tips.

Her tail was still scorpion-esque. She also still had mandibles protruding from the sides of her mouth, and yes, she had an actual mouth now that was plain and easy to see now that the oversized mandibles no longer blocked it. Her horn was much shorter than before and lacked the orifice from which she could supposedly discharge acid, though it was sharp and crooked with odd angles.

Seeing her like this reminded Twilight too much of Queen Chrysalis for it to be a coincidence. A significantly more deadly and dangerous version of Chrysalis, if one could believe it, but there was one key difference:

She was friendly.

Very friendly in fact, as she cleared the distance to Twilight from the dirt pile in only about a second and… hugged her. Twilight was so surprised that she took a second or two to even register what was happening, at which point she returned the hug. She even giggled when the queen tickled her mane with her mandibles.

"My goodness! Aculeata, look at you!" Twilight said, gesturing at the queen as she pulled ever-so-slightly away from the hug. "You've certainly changed a lot since I last saw you."

Aculeata nodded and… smiled; her two razor-sharp rows of teeth were only slightly scary. "Yes. Changed much, Friend Twilight."

Twilight's eyes widened with delight. "You can talk now?!"

"Am still… learning," the queen said with another nod. She pointed at Pewter. "Friend Pewter teach. Learn good." A pause, and she clicked her mandibles a few times. "I am… learning… well…?" She looked to Pewter for approval.

Pewter smiled and nodded. "Yes, she's learning well. Though she lapses a bit sometimes when she's excited, as you can tell. I haven't seen her so energetic since you left, come to think of it."

"I am happy to see Friend Twilight again," Aculeata said, her horn glowing green; she smiled wide as it did so. "Friend Twilight is happy too. I can feel it."

Twilight nodded excitedly. "So your horn does react to emotional stimuli in the nearby environment. Amazing!" She turned to Winter. "I think this pretty much confirms it, don't you think? Aculeata's 'evolved' into this world's version of changelings! She's the first one!"

Winter nodded, stroking her chin in thought. "Just about, yeah. Don't get too excited, though. Don't changelings have shapeshifting abilities?"

"Ah… good point."

Pewter tilted his head. "I don't know what all this talk about 'changelings' is, but did I hear you say something about shapeshifting? 'Cause Aculeata can do that."

Twilight's eyes widened again. "She can?" She looked at Aculeata. "Can you change your shape?"

Aculeata clicked her mandibles in thought. "I can… change, yes. Does Friend Twilight want to see?"

"Very much, yes."

Aculeata nodded and closed her eyes, as if concentrating. Her horn glowed a dull orange for a moment, and then her wings completely changed shape from that of a dragonfly's to that of a wasp's, and then back again.

The queen let out a breath afterwards. "See? I can change, yes?"

Pewter stepped forward and set his hoof on Aculeata's side. "She's getting better at it, but it's a long way off from being anything more significant than that. I'm not exactly the best guide in this case."

"It's okay, Pewter, she did just fine," Twilight said with a grin. "I know someone that might be able to help her with this new ability of hers, if she wants to learn."

Aculeata smiled and nodded. "I like to learn new things. I like to talk and change. It is… fun." She looked amongst the others who were present and smiled at them as well. "Friend Twilight brought her brood with her. I will try to remember names…"

She pointed at Applejack and said her name, then did the same for Hourglass, both without a lot of aplomb but it was clear that she was enjoying herself and the fact that she could remember Twilight's other friends; Twilight was a little perplexed that the queen called them part of her brood, but that was likely the terminology she was accustomed to from an instinctual perspective.

After she got to Winter and did the same, Winter gave Twilight a little smile. "I take back anythin' I might have said about ya bein' crazy for tryin' to make friends with her. This is quite a sight to see, eh?"

Aculeata tilted her head as she looked at Winter, then at Twilight; her horn was glowing bright pink. "Oh. I can feel the Pink glow again from Friend Twilight and Winter one."

"The… pink glow?" asked Twilight. "What does that one mean?"

"It is a new glow. I have only felt it with Friend Twilight and Winter one, before the flying shell took them away. I can feel it again now, but it is brighter. It is like the Green glow, like happy, but different." She leaned towards Twilight and clicked her mandibles, tilting her head as if searching for something. "Oh! I know it now. Friend Twilight and Winter one are mates."

Twilight's face reddened. "Wh-what? What do you mean 'mates'?"

"Friend Twilight has claimed Winter one as her mate." Aculeata shook her head. "It is strange to me, because Friend Twilight is female, and Winter one is also female. Friend Twilight cannot breed this way. Winter one cannot fertilize—"

Winter loudly cleared her throat; her face was red too, though Twilight's was redder by far. "Ooookay, that's enough of that conversation."

Twilight nodded rapidly. "Yes, thank you, I think that we got the picture, Aculeata. I think the pink glow from your horn must indicate 'love', because, um… Winter and I love each other… romantically. We're in love, not… not mated or anything like that. Like you said, we're both female."

Aculeata tilted her head. "Friend Twilight has the smell of Winter one on her, though, like the marking scent of a mate. It is faint and covered with… other smells. But I can still smell it. It was recent. The mating was within the past day?"

Twilight didn't think her face could get any redder. "Oh geez, oh wow… um, this is all… very complicated. I think it would be best if I sat down with you sometime soon and talked about this stuff you're feeling because, uh… I want to make sure we're all cleared up, that's all. Another time, though, not now."

Aculeata clicked her mandibles, then nodded. "Yes. I would like to talk with Friend Twilight about 'love' and why it is different from mating."

The queen then turned and looked at an amused-looking Sunspire, tilting her head in the process. "This one… I do not know his name. I know him though. He was in the old nest, sneaking along with Winter one and Hourglass one."

Sunspire adjusted his goggles and nodded. "Th-that's right! I was really frightened of you before, but you don't seem so scary now."

"You touched his butt," giggled Hourglass.

"Uh… that's right, you did," he said with an anxious chuckle. "Um, why did you do that?"

"I could sense the Black glow from this one. Fear," Aculeata said, her long tongue raking her teeth like she was trying to get some disgusting taste out of her mouth. "Fear does not taste good. I do not like it. So I pushed this one away, hoping the fear would go with him."

"Do you like the way other glows 'taste'?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes. Green, happy, tastes good. Blue, sad, does not. Red, anger, sometimes tastes good, sometimes tastes bad." She paused, tilting her head and licking her lips again. "New Pink glow, 'love', tastes very good. I like it a lot."

Twilight shared a brief knowing look with Fluttershy; if there was anything that could confirm that Aculeata was a changeling now, this was the last straw.

Speaking of Fluttershy, Aculeata looked at her next, tilting her head like a curious animal. "This one I do not know at all."

"I'm Fluttershy," the sweet pegasus said with an equally sweet smile. "It's really nice to meet you, Aculeata. Twilight's told me a lot about you."

"Fluttershy one is part of Friend Twilight's brood?"

"Um… yes, I am. I've known her for a long time."

"Fluttershy one has a strange smell. I do not smell it on others, even Friend Twilight. I like the smell, but it is not the Green glow, it does not feed me. But it does make me feel happy." She got close to Fluttershy and clicked her mandibles again. "It smells like many things I knew in my old life, like the smell of mating and of children. Together it is strange, but nice." She clicked again. "Very nice."

"Oh… um… w-well, I'm glad you like it?" Fluttershy said with a nervous smile.

Twilight wondered what this "smell" was that Fluttershy had. None of them could smell anything different about her, and it wasn't as if Fluttershy was using perfume or a weird shampoo or anything. The only thought that Twilight could think of was that, perhaps, Aculeata was just vocalizing why animals tended to trust Fluttershy? After all, Aculeata used to be an animal herself, so she would still be able to recognize it. Maybe?

Another talk for another day.

"It was wonderful having a chance to see you again, Aculeata," Twilight said, stepping forward to hug her changeling friend. "I wish that I didn't have to go again so soon, but my, um, brood and I have some very important work to do."

Aculeata returned the hug, then tilted her head as they pulled apart. "Friend Twilight is leaving again?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I really am. But once my friends and I finish with this important task that we have to deal with, I'll come back for you. I have all sorts of other friends and creatures to introduce you to, and maybe even new places to see. But I can't do it until I deal with the problem that I have to deal with."

Aculeata clicked her mandibles. "Friend Twilight… is in trouble? She must fix a problem?"

Twilight sighed and nodded. "Yes, a very big problem. If we don't fix it, well… a lot of creatures are going to die."

"Will Friend Twilight be in danger?"

"No. No, I'll be quite alright, Aculeata. You don't have to worry about me. Okay?" Twilight stroked the side of her friend's face. "Trust me, I'm going to be fine. You just worry about yourself and Pewter, okay? If anyone comes here to try to hurt either of you, I want you to stay safe and protect each other."

Aculeata paused and looked at Twilight a moment, then nodded. "Okay, Friend Twilight. I will stay safe and keep Friend Pewter safe."

"Thank you. I'll see you again when this is all over, okay?"

"Okay. Goodbye Friend Twilight. Friend Twilight will stay safe too and keep her brood safe, and she will protect her mate?"

Twilight felt her tongue catch in her throat briefly as she glanced at Winter again, then she nodded. "I will."

*****

When the Lunar Spear landed at the New Pandemonium City Airport, Twilight honestly didn't know what to expect. Obviously the place was different from the hangars at Hope's Point, and in fact was very similar to the airport at Newhaven, but that was only on a surface level comparison.

It wasn't nearly as clean and neat despite the clear efforts to keep it clean and neat, and it just didn't seem as friendly. There weren't any ponies present to greet them, for one thing. Well, that wasn't exactly true. There was one pony there to greet them: Golden Dawn. But that was it.

"Greetings, to all of you," Dawn said as she approached the group. "I trust that your flight was a satisfactory experience?"

"It was very pleasant, yes, thanks for asking," Twilight said with a grin; whatever had been bugging Dawn the last time she'd seen her clearly wasn't bugging her now. "I wasn't expecting anypony to greet us here, actually, at least not so quickly."

"I was under the impression that your flight would arrive earlier. Was there a cause for this delay?"

"Oh, right," Twilight said with a tight-lipped grin. "Um, we made a small stop at the Checkpoint before we came here. I wanted to see Aculeata again before all this went down, mostly to make sure that she was okay and wouldn't get frightened if anything bad started to happen."

"Aculeata… the Gargantuan queen, if I am not mistaken? You never mentioned her to me personally, but I have taken efforts to be abreast of the goings-on over the past month that I might not have been partial to before. I trust that there were no unfortunate complications?"

"No, she's fine. She's actually developed quite a lot since I last saw her, including the ability to speak! Though, um… if I ever introduce you two, you may need to tone down your vocabulary. I don't think she'd understand you, eh heh."

Dawn tilted her head. "Quite understandable." She then turned to Gray. "Gray, sister, I am delighted to see that you are in good health. Her Majesty informed me of the southern developments. Your solution to the issue could certainly be considered unorthodox at best, but it solved the issue marvelously. I predicted that you would serve admirably in your role."

Gray blinked several times, then gulped and nodded. "Uh, yeah. Thanks, sis." She turned to Havoc. "Has she been like this since I left?"

Havoc smirked and nodded. "Ohhh yeah. It's like a whole new little sister just popped out of nowhere." A pause. "Well, not whole new. She's still a brat, but like, she's the kind of brat I don't mind calling a sister. Y'know, like she used to be back when Pops was still here here and not a god or whatever."

"Huh. Right on, then."

Dawn cleared her throat. "If I might interject, perhaps it would be of benefit to continue these discussions at the tower proper? All ponies of interest have gathered there to prepare for the scenario ahead, though I must warn you that Curaçao has been quite adamant that we do not discuss the plans at all within the tower for some unforeseen reason, at least until she permits us to do so."

"She has?" Twilight asked, looking between Havoc and Dawn. "Then how do you all know what the plan is?"

"Curaçao's been talking with me when she's outside the tower," Havoc said with a shrug. "I passed it along to Queen Bee and all of you guys yesterday literally like an hour after she told me."

"She also did not impart the plans to myself or to the others while within the confines of Pandora Tower," Dawn continued, adjusting her glasses. "As a point of fact, I only learned of the full details of the plan when Curaçao communicated it to Havoc. Until that point I only knew small aspects of it, all of which were incidentally revealed to me once outside of the tower."

"So you don't have any clue why Curie's acting all weird either?" Havoc asked.

Dawn shook her head. "I am afraid that I have no theories as to why she is performing her duties with such subterfuge. She was exceedingly forthcoming with me and with you regarding the NPAF's scouting missions, to the point of providing me with various details that I honestly did not feel were of any valid use to me."

"Huh. She didn't do that with me. She just gave me real basic info, the kinda stuff you could probably see on the news, which I mean, yeah, we don't get NPC news down in Hope's Point."

Twilight tilted her head. She didn't know Curaçao well at all—they'd only ever met twice, both of which were seven years ago—but she knew from how everypony talked about her that she was incredibly smart and crafty. This whole conversation screamed of some secret plan that she was cooking up, but what?"

"At any rate, let us sojourn to Pandora Tower. Is everyone… hmm." Dawn tilted her head and looked amongst the crowd. "Where is Pandemonia?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? She didn't come with us."

"Yeah, she's already here in NPC with you, isn't she?" Havoc asked.

"Not that I am aware of," Dawn said, shaking her head. "As another point of fact, discussing Pandemonia is another topic that Curaçao has expressly forbidden me from mentioning to anypony in the tower. She and I are, as far as I am aware, the only ponies in the city that are even aware of her existence."

Havoc scratched her head. "But Curaçao told me that she was here. I saw her get on an airship and everything."

Gray interjected, looking at Dawn. "When she's traveling around Hope's Point, she does so in a disguised form so that nopony knows that she's an alicorn. A unicorn mare that goes by the name Puzzle Box. Maybe you've seen her?"

Dawn shook her head again. "I am unaware of any such pony." She tapped her chin. "Perhaps Curaçao would be more informed on this matter. She has taken it upon herself to utilize her 'big sister' authority on a significant number of issues as of late, and she refuses to elaborate on such things to me even outside of the confines of the tower. This must be one of them."

"Huh…" Gray muttered. "Well, whatever. We'll ask her when we get there."

"Indeed." Dawn stepped into the center of the group. "As a fair warning, if this is your first experience with teleportation of a great distance, then you might experience some discomfort and nausea."

She lit up her horn, and then with a flash and a pop, the entire group vanished from the airport.

They now found themselves in what looked like a lounge of some sort, clearly in Pandora Tower judging by the windows which gazed out onto the city from a significant height. All of the furniture had been rearranged, apparently, to clear a space for Dawn to perform her teleportation; there was more than enough space, and Dawn was extraordinarily accurate with teleportation even with a group this large.

Twilight, who had become more and more accustomed to teleportation over the years, had to acknowledge that Dawn was still better than her at it. It was hard to tell unless one was used to the act themselves, but that was the point: Twilight was quite accustomed to teleportation, and she knew an expert when she saw one.

Still, even an expert couldn't remove the first-time effects of teleportation on inexperienced individuals, and as Zircon and Zyra had never teleported before—and apparently lacked Green Guard's constitution, as he hadn't experienced any problems yesterday—they were immediately beset with the nausea and dizziness that was all too common.

Of course, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy weren't terribly accustomed to it either, so they appeared just a little woozy.

Twilight noticed that Curaçao was already waiting for them right by what looked like an elevator. "Before anyone says anything, I trust that Dawn has already told you that there are certain topics that are not to be discussed at the moment, oui?" She looked to the group as they nodded in relative unison. "Bien. Then we shall keep it that way for now. Apologies, as I must get right into business.

"The Redblade Mountains are acting up, as Havoc has no doubt informed you all by now," she continued. "We are expecting something to happen there later tonight, though at the moment we do not know what it is. The NPAF fleet and Hope's Point's fleets are already coordinating themselves to prepare for a strike.

"For now, the rest of you are safe here within Pandora Tower, and we can discuss our own evening plans after some lunch, hmm?" She smiled and clasped her hooves together. "I know that some of you have already sampled some of the fine cuisine from the tower's chef, Crème Brûlée, but if you haven't, you are in for a treat."

Twilight was sure that she was just as confused as the others; Curaçao was definitely up to something, and even her sisters didn't know what it was, including Dawn herself. But then, Twilight had gotten a chance to speak with Lockwood and Rarity about the kind of mare that Blackburn was, and if Blackburn was trustworthy, then so was Curaçao; they were very much alike.

The elevator wasn't big enough for the entire group at once, so they had to make two trips, which Twilight found amusing to a degree. For all the similarities that Pandora Tower had to the royal palace in Hope's Point, and for its sheer difference in size so that it could include facilities that the palace didn't have, it was constrained by keeping itself around the northern Beacon and as such felt so much smaller.

The young Shadows—Sunspire, Serendipity, and Green Guard—did not go with the adults, however; they were sent down to the Shadow facility on a different floor, presumably so that they could reunite with their friends and classmates. Dawn teleported them there herself and no words were shared in the process, but Twilight trusted that everything was okay.

Twilight recognized the dining room, of course, as she'd seen it seven years ago shortly after the first time Nihila was defeated, just before Silvertongue and Winter sent her and her friends back home to their own Equestria. It was hard to forget the place, really, since it was very much a typical sort of dining room just like the one that she had at her own palace, only less colorful.

Shadows played across the massive expanse of the dining room floor, seeping into the corners and blanketing the walls. A series of dim lights, flickering in and out softly, did little beyond casting a faint glow across the central table. A solid black tablecloth covered the table, obscuring it in the darkness and giving the illusion that the rows of thin, wax candles floated in their golden holders. Plates, bowls, glasses, forks and spoons; the table was set for sixteen.

As for the lunch spread, there was a lot on display here for everyone to partake in. Twilight wasn't particularly well-versed in recognizing specific foods at a glance, but there was a cheesy pasta with squiggly noodles; a red soup with no vegetables floating in it; grilled cheese sandwiches, the gourmet kind, since Twilight could see that the bread wasn't just plain white and that there were multiple cheeses; a huge salad with all the trimmings and a variety of dressings in little boats; and, off to the side, a large pie of some sort, blueberry maybe?

Besides Dawn and Curaçao, Velvet and Insipid were also here. Velvet's reaction to seeing everypony again was relatively subdued; she was Pinkie's clone but lacked Pinkie's overenthusiastic spunk.

Insipid's reaction, however, was not subdued at all. Well, it was for the group as a whole, but it was not subdued for Rarity. Twilight had never seen a unicorn move quite so fast as Insipid did when she got out of her seat to run around the entire length of the table towards her friend.

"Rarity!" the fashionable charcoal-colored unicorn exclaimed as she scooped the fashionable alabaster unicorn up in a hug. "Oh my stars I haven't seen you in so long! And I've heard all about how awesome you've been all these years but then I still didn't get to see you! And now you're here! Yes! Yes yes yes!"

Rarity chuckled; her whole body was locked in the hug so she couldn't hug back even if she wanted. "Insipid, darling, it is simply wonderful to see you again. I'd say you have no idea, but obviously you do. You said exactly what I was going to say, only more… your way of saying it."

Insipid broke the hug and bounced in place as she looked over Rarity's current ensemble, which was a coffee-colored jacket over a lovely black dress that Rarity had said was designed for "class, comfort, and if necessary, combat". Insipid hummed and nodded as she eyed every single detail.

"Is this what's, like, 'in' in Hope's Point right now?" Insipid asked, hoof tapping over her mouth in thought.

Rarity nodded. "Indeed it is. Jackets and coats are very much in style at the moment regardless of what's underneath, if anything at all. As for the color, well, earthy colors are all the rage down there. I'm fond of the coffee tone myself; mocha is a little too brown, and tan is a little too… tan."

Insipid nodded back. "It's gorgeous! I love it!" She hugged Rarity again, pressing their cheeks together excitedly. "Oooh! I have so much to tell you! C'mon, let's go sit! We can get all caught up!"

After that little display, everypony did indeed sit so that they could eat and talk and relax; it seemed so odd to Twilight that they were doing so when the fate of the world was likely just a few hours away, but if Curaçao knew something that they didn't and was trying to keep it a secret, then Twilight was just going to continue biting her tongue for now. She hoped that they'd find out what it was soon, though.

Twilight caught a few snippets of conversations here and there—there were a lot of them going around—but two in particular attracted her attention both because the ponies involved were those she hadn't seen in, well, seven years: Velvet and Insipid. Apart from Rainbow and Pinkie, none of the group had seen either of those two, or Curaçao for that matter, but Curaçao was an enigma as it was and was keeping very quiet.

"So, Insipid, I hear that you're one of the top models in the entire city now?" Rarity asked as she sipped from some of the provided tea.

"Yup!" Insipid replied, proudly sticking her nose in the air. "There's not, like, a ranking system or anything like that, but like, if there was? I'd totally be in the top five."

"And you're still working for Lace and Lapel at Lovers' Lane, I take it?"

"Uh-huh, though these days I'm much more of an independent contractor and junk. I exclusively model for them when, like, fashion lines are concerned, but I'm allowed to model for all sorts of other stuff whenever I want."

"Like what?"

Insipid bit her tongue and started counting off: "I'm the model for a perfume line, I've been in ads for two different soda brands, and they're even using my likeness for a character in a video game. And those are just the things that popped up this year!"

"Wow, you really are spreading your wings and making a name for yourself, aren't you?" Rarity reached over and put her hoof on Insipid's. "I'm so very proud of you, darling. I knew you had a spark of potential in you, and no, it's not just because you're some… other me. You're special in your own way."

"Awww, thanks Rarity," Insipid said with a wide grin. "See? That's why I love ya so dang much." A pause. "But not, like, love ya love ya. I mean, you're super duper gorgeous and junk, but I think that'd be, like, a little weird, don'tcha think?"

"I imagine so," Rarity tittered. "Besides the fact that you and I share a few important qualities, I don't think I'm really your type, or vice versa."

Insipid giggled. "Ohhh ho ho, no, I'd have no problem at all with you if you weren't, like, Original Flavor Me, or whatever. I mean, once I figured things out about me I realized that I might have maybe sorta kinda had a little thing for you. Heh. Awkward."

Rarity tilted her head. "Hmm? I… don't understand. 'Figured out' what?"

"That I like mares, duh," Insipid replied, as if it were totally obvious. "Y'know, like like. I mean, like, it took me a long time to figure it out and junk, and I'm still coming to terms with it, but like, yeah, I'm a lesbian. I hope that's not weird."

"Not at all, dear, not at all," Rarity said, patting Insipid's hoof. "But really? A lesbian? I honestly never would've guessed. When we were working together, you always seemed so interested in stallions. We used to… ahem, observe quite a few of them from time to time? Casually, of course."

"Oh. Yeah. Well I mean, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that, like, I was just copying you 'cause that's all I knew how to do: copy you. I mean, even today I still take after you in a lot of things and junk, but like, I didn't realize that I was dead wrong about one of them."

Rarity leaned back, genuinely surprised by all this. "Huh. Well, how about that. How did you figure it out, dear?"

Insipid pointed at Rainbow. "Dash helped me out with that."

Rainbow nearly choked a bite of the sandwich she was eating.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Really? Do tell."

Insipid nodded happily. "Oh yeah, she helped me figure out that the reason my romantic relationships with stallions have always ended up so lame was because I was just looking at guys when I should've been looking at girls. I'm still friends with some guys, but that's about it."

"I see."

"Yup! Y'know, I was a little nervous at first when I realized it, but Dash and Pinkie really came through for me that night—"

Rainbow nearly leapt across the table to put her hoof over Insipid's mouth. "Yup! We helped! Aren't we just the nicest ponies ever? We helped and that's allll we did. Aha haaa."

Rarity narrowed her eyes at Rainbow, who had one of the worst fake grins on her face that anypony had ever seen; she also glanced over at Pinkie, who just watched the whole display with a mouthful of food and a smile. But then Rarity just sighed, shook her head, and went back to sipping her tea; apparently, whatever that last part of the conversation had been about, Rarity decided it wasn't worth it.

Twilight's ears then took her over to the conversation that Velvet and, surprisingly, Applejack were having; what those two had in common, Twilight didn't know, but there was no denying that a conversation was happening.

"So, AJ," Velvet said, idly stirring her fork in her pasta while her focus was more on Zircon than Applejack herself. "Your coltfriend's pretty hot."

Applejack dropped her sandwich into her soup, taken aback. "Say wha?

"Your coltfriend, the zebra. He's hot." She leaned over to whisper, though not quietly enough that Twilight couldn't hear: "So hey, tell me, I've heard a lot of rumors about zebras being particularly… gifted if y'know what I mean. Is that true?"

Applejack paused for a good, long moment. "I have no idea what you're talkin' 'bout, Red," she said flatly.

"Uh-huh. Okay, fine, I get it, you don't wanna talk about it. My lips are sealed." Velvet traced her hoof over her lips, nodded, then returned to her pasta. "So since that didn't go anywhere—spoilsport—I've got something to tell you that you might get a kick out of."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Wellll, I figured that you'd be pretty keen on knowing how well your old warehouse crew was doing, y'know? Seeing as you made friends with all of 'em and it's been seven years and then some since you last saw 'em?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "I mean… yeah, I'd actually like ta know how they're doin', now that ya mention it. I never really gave it that much thought before."

"Well, I'll keep it short and sweet and tell you that they're all doing very well for themselves," Velvet said through a mouthful of pasta. "They're all still working at the warehouse on the same crew, still working under the same boss—and no, sorry, I don't know how he's doing—and making a little better pay these days thanks to some of Dawn's regulation changes. So, y'know. Good times."

"Well shucks, that sure is good ta hear. Them fellas were a good bunch once ya got used to 'em, I tell ya what. They ain't gettin' inta any trouble or nothin', are they?"

"Nope. All of 'em are in a good place, I think. That's just my opinion of course, but it seems that way to me."

Applejack smirked. "That's just great. Thanks, Red, I appreciate the info." A pause. "But why're y'all the one tellin' me this? I mean obviously ya got the info from yer sister or somethin' an' you're just passin' it along—"

Velvet shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm still good friends with all of 'em. I haven't checked in with 'em in a few months, but we keep in touch. Not as much as we used to, of course, but hey"

"Wait. You keep tabs on 'em? What? Why?" A pause as she stared at Velvet, who was just casually chewing another mouthful of pasta. "Nooo…"

"Yup."

Applejack smiled and slapped Velvet's shoulder. "Naw, fer real? You're messin' wit' me, c'mon."

"Nope," Velvet said, utterly no-nonsense.

"All of 'em?"

"Uh huh."

"All twelve of 'em?

"Yup. In a row this one time," Velvet replied with a proud smile. "Hammer Toss is a regular. And lemme tell ya, that stud is packin'."

Applejack set her hoof to the bridge of her nose. "Land sakes, girl…"

"Y'know, a few years back I asked him to—"

Twilight had heard the entire conversation and, while she knew it was rude to butt in and ask, she was desperately curious what the heck they were talking about. She was shaken out of that thought, though, when Insipid very loudly exclaimed, "You're pregnant?! From Lockwood?!" at the top of her lungs, silencing the entire room in one fell swoop.

Oh well, Twilight thought. She could ask Applejack another time.

*****

It was now early evening, and everyone had gathered together in the tower's lounge to finally discuss the plan that was in place. So far, all that Twilight knew was that Pandemonia was going to drain the Beacon's energy and that the two cities' fleets were gathering for an attack on the Redblade Mountains. That by itself didn't seem like enough of a plan to really accomplish everything that they needed to do.

Only Dawn wasn't here, which Twilight found a little strange.

Curaçao, who had apparently formulated the rest of the details of the plan entirely herself, took charge of the conversation almost immediately after everyone was seated. "D'accord. So, our plan is to begin in roughly one hour from now," she said, glancing at a clock on the nearby wall. "As such, once we put our plans into motion, there is nothing that can be done to prevent us from moving forward."

Twilight hesitantly raised her hoof. "If I may, Curaçao, shouldn't Dawn be here for this discussion?"

"Yeah, where is she?" Havoc asked.

They were answered, with seemingly perfect timing, by Dawn teleporting into the room in a spot that Curaçao had asked for everyone to keep clear of. By Dawn's side was Puzzle Box, otherwise known as Pandemonia in her unicorn disguise.

"Voilà," Curaçao said with a smile. "And look, she has brought our other guest with her. Bienvenue!"

Puzzle looked at the others present, then nodded at Curaçao. "I must assume that we are ready to begin?"

"Oui. We are ready." Curaçao turned to the group and gave them a little smile. "I know that most of you are wondering where Pandemonia has been, oui? I was very discreet in putting her up in a hotel for the past few days, far from the tower."

"I was wondering why I was sent to some seemingly random location to retrieve her," Dawn said, adjusting her glasses. "Why was she not assigned to a room here at the tower?"

"For the same reason that I have forbidden any mention of her from being uttered in this building, and for the same reason that I have forbidden discussion of any aspects of our plan, or of our knowledge of the state of the world, until now. Now, there is no need to hide it; as I was saying to the others, now there is nothing that can be done to stop us from what we're planning to do."

Velvet tilted her head. "And that reason is…?"

Curaçao sighed and shook her head. "Velvet, I will answer your question with a question: when you took Caramel and Marée out to the arcade, who knew about that plan?"

"Oh, um… apart from us, I also asked some of the other students if they wanted to come, and I told Pedi what I was doing, and I asked a couple of the staff members who work outside the tower if any of them knew more about the arcade." Velvet shrugged. "Why?"

"Did you ask anypony who was not in the tower? Or rather, did you ask anypony about any of this while you weren't physically in the tower? Could anypony have overheard you at, say, a restaurant or a bar?"

Velvet paused, then shook her head. "No, I only ever asked the ponies who work here while they were here." She blinked. "You don't think one of them told somepony, do you?"

Curaçao shook her head. "Non, I interviewed them all myself, and they did not. And even if any of them did spill information, they only knew that you asked questions about the arcade, nothing more. And yet, those attackers—obviously cultists of Nihila, I might add—were able to find out exactly when you were going, and with whom."

"Yeah… yeah, you're right. They knew way more about the trip than I told anypony else except Pedi, and I know that he wouldn't do anything to hurt me or the kids."

"Exactly. So how did they get that information, I wonder?" Curaçao then turned to Dawn. "In a similar vein, Dawn, who knew about the arrival of Queen Blackburn and her family the day of the Chameleon attack? Who had knowledge of their exact schedule and flight plan?"

"Just myself, you, Havoc, and the members of the Committee," Dawn replied. "And I personally confirmed that neither Taskmaster Concrete nor Treasurer Vendetta were involved in the attack on the day that it happened."

"Oui, and I double-checked your results, as well as confirmed that Secretary Quill was not involved. So, how did the Chameleon know exactly where to be and at what time to be there so that they could spring their ambush?"

"I have been wondering that for weeks now, sister."

"Yo, Curie, enough with the twenty questions," Havoc grunted. "You obviously know something, so just come out and say it."

Gray nudged Havoc slightly. "Obviously there's a leak somewhere. Weird thing is, there isn't anypony who was in both those groups that could be a suspect."

Curaçao smiled at Gray and nodded. "Oui. After these two events, I had a suspicion that there was somehow a security leak and that somepony was somehow getting information to Nihla's cultists without our knowledge. I decided to perform one last test over the past week, using our NPAF camp in Redblade as bait.

"To Dawn, I provided detailed information about the project while I was in her office. I spoke to her openly, without our telepathic bond." Curaçao then gestured at Havoc. "To you, however, I provided other details, some of which differed from what I told Dawn, and I shared all of this information with you while I was outside the tower, via our telepathic bond."

"And you otherwise only shared all of those details with me, specifically?" Dawn asked, tilting her head.

"Oui. Commander Jetstream provided me with all of the details personally while I was not in the tower, and as we ensured that all of the information collected by the AMP Troopers was delivered straight to him, nopony else knows the same details."

"So wait, you shared incorrect information with me?" Havoc asked. "Why?"

Curaçao smirked. "Non, Havoc, the other way around. I shared incorrect information with Dawn and forbade her from sharing it with anypony else, to test a theory. J'avais raison—I was correct: we do have a security leak in the tower." She turned to Dawn and gestured towards her and their other sisters. "And we are the security leak. Nihila has been spying on us, and only us, and only while we're here in the tower."

Dawn blinked. "What? How?"

"No doubt because of her role in giving us life and her connection with the Beacon," Curaçao replied with a shrug. "Hence why I have expressly forbidden any of you from discussing our plans and knowledge with anypony while inside the tower."

"Which would explain why nothing ever happened to Insipid in all these years," Gray muttered, eyes wide. "I always thought it was weird that those guys attacked Red but not Insipid. She doesn't have guards and stuff like the tower does; she'd be easy pickings."

"Cha. Yeah right," Insipid scoffed. "I'm not 'easy pickings' for, like, anypony."

"It is also why no information that you and only you came into contact with has been discovered, Gray," Curaçao added. "You've lived in Hope's Point for all these years."

"While Nihila was using me," Puzzle Box interjected, "she would have possessed all of my power, which includes a limited omniscience. While in this physical form, I lack that omniscience entirely. It would be fair to say that, while in between a physical form and whatever form she may be in now, she still possesses some level of awareness."

"Oui, that was my theory. And Nihila proved it to me when her cultists reacted only to the incorrect information that I was providing to Dawn. Many of the AMPs we lost scouting the volcanoes were due to the cultists shooting them down in areas where I specifically told Dawn that I would be searching." Curaçao turned to Havoc. "But none of the AMPs in areas where I told you I was sending them were in any danger."

Dawn let out a small laugh. "Sister, that was quite an ingenious ploy. Father would be proud of you; you managed to deceive Nihila."

"Hmm." Curaçao shrugged and moved on. "So, now you all know why I have been keeping everything close to the chest lately. I have even had to ensure that I did not think about our plans while here in the tower. I put everything together elsewhere, but I can discuss it with you now. Nihila cannot rally her forces in time to preemptively stop us."

"So let's hear this big plan of yours," Rainbow said.

"You must know some other things that we don't, which is why you've been keeping it all from us," Twilight noted. "So that means your plan is something new that we couldn't predict without that knowledge. Is it any different from what we already have planned? Is anything changing?"

"Non," Curaçao said. "The parts of the plan that you all already know are still in place: the two cities' fleets are moving into position to defend against whatever force the cultists might be hiding—the smoke prevents me from learning more—and Pandemonia will proceed to the top of Pandora Tower to drain the energy of the Beacon directly."

"Father has informed me that he has already made the necessary adjustments to the Beacon itself so that Pandemonia can accomplish the same task that Harmonia is undertaking in the south with Gilderoy's help," Dawn said with a nod. "He performed these adjustments last night, taking control of my physical form while I was asleep. He insisted that we do it that way, and now I am aware of the reason."

"You mean Dad figured out that Nihila was watching us too?" Gray asked.

"That certainly does seem to be the logical conclusion, yes. He never informed me of this fact, however." Dawn turned to Curaçao. "Sister, did you discuss this with him somehow?"

"Non," Curaçao replied, "but Papa is intelligent and possesses power and knowledge that we do not. It might be the case that he has known for a while, perhaps longer than I have, but could not express it to you without risking Nihila learning of it. If she did, then we would not be able to hide any plans from her, as we are now."

"So we're just talking about this all out in the open now for… what reason?" asked Havoc. "'Cause if you're right, can't Nihila hear all of this?"

"Oui, she can. That is the point."

Havoc blinked, then smirked. "Ohhh, I get it. You're taunting her. Good shit, sis. I like it." She shouted up at the ceiling, "You hear that, you stupid cunt?! We're coming for ya!"

Dawn rubbed her temple and shook her head. "That was unnecessary…"

"So, Pandemonia's going up to the roof to deactivate the Beacon," Twilight interjected. "What about the rest of us?"

"Nihila herself is naturally the biggest danger," Curaçao said. "Our AMP scouts have located the cultist base in the volcanic region, and it is my suspicion that the smoke from the mountains serves a double purpose: it is hiding whatever the cultists have made to serve as a weapon, and it is a signal that Nihila might be there."

"A sensible deduction," Dawn said. "The amount of magical power needed to activate so many volcanoes in such a way is tremendous. I doubt that even Twilight or myself could perform such a feat on the scale we have witnessed in the time frame that it has occurred."

"It would take the power of a goddess," Puzzle Box said with a nod. "Nihila may yet still have tremendous power, though how she has hidden it from Lord Silvertongue, I do not know."

"If she originally came from the Void, it could be that she's been hidin' there as she did before," Winter noted. "And she's workin' with her cultists the same way she worked with Malygnes in Athenos."

"Which means… do you think that her cultists are trying to summon her as they did before?" Twilight muttered, worried. "The first time that Nihila entered this world, she sank a huge island into the ocean. Igniting a bunch of volcanoes sounds like something she would be able to do and would want to do."

"My thoughts exactly," Curaçao said. "Which means that we need an equally powerful force to go there and ensure that that does not happen. Either prevent whatever ritual is being performed to summon her, or destroy her before she can do any real damage. Once the Beacons are deactivated, Harmonia will be able to destroy any trace of Nihila that tries to escape."

Dawn nodded and looked at Twilight. "If it is power that we need, then naturally it follows that Twilight and myself would be best suited to this task. She and I are the most powerful spellcasters present apart from Pandemonia, and her presence is required here."

"I agree," Twilight said with a nod to Dawn. "Over the past month, I've encountered so many creatures who call this world home. I know that I cannot save this world itself, but if destroying Nihila will let me bring them to my world and save them that way, then I will use every ounce of my power to do just that."

"I'm goin' with you," Winter said firmly.

"Winter, no," Twilight said, shaking her head. "I can't let you put yourself in danger—"

"Fuck off with that shit. Look, you two might be super powerful, but neither of ya have ever been to the volcanoes before. I have; I've shut down Void rfits there more than once, so I know the terrain. Not to mention, if this ritual requires these cultist fucks to draw Nihila out of the Void, then I'd think I'd be pretty fuckin' useful."

Twilight balked, then smiled and nodded slowly. "That's actually a pretty good point. Okay then, Winter, you can come along."

"What about the rest of us?" Rainbow asked.

Havoc grunted. "Yeah, we're not just gonna sit here on our asses, are we?"

Curaçao shook her head. "Oui et non. Everyone here apart from Twilight, Dawn, and Winter will remain in the tower for one purpose: protecting Pandemonia. Nihila has cultists here in the city, that much we know. Now that they know our plans, they will try to stop us. This is good, because then we can wipe out their cult once and for all."

"Why are we trying to wipe them out?" Gray asked. "If Dawn's group takes out Nihila, then what good are they?"

"They are violent individuals who want nothing more than to kill in the name of their false goddess," Curaçao grunted. "I will spare you all the details, but I was contacted this morning by Director Underhoof. As Dawn will confirm, our city has been plagued with a substantial increase in missing pony cases for several years now."

Dawn's eyes widened. "Did Underhoof finally uncover something?"

Curaçao let out a heavy breath; she was clearly disturbed and disgusted. "Oui. Almost all of the missing ponies have been found in underground bunkers beneath the city. Underhoof told me that there is significant electronic interference down there, as well as magical interference, hence why nopony has found them until now."

"How did she find them?" asked Velvet.

"An anonymous tip was sent this morning to her office, which revealed the location of each and every one of these bunker hideouts, which we found completely abandoned with no clues as to any potential whereabouts."

"What about the missing ponies?"

Curaçao shook her head. "Dead. All of them. That is all I will say on the matter; I have seen the crime scene images, and they are… déplaisant. I will not share them with anyone at the moment, if ever."

"Why would the cultists allow us to discover their hideouts?" Dawn asked, rubbing her chin.

"Because they wanted us to find them. They want us to know that they're coming."

"But I thought they didn't know about our plan until now?" asked Gray.

"Oui, but I gathered from Velvet's report on the ponies who attacked her that they wanted revenge on us for our role in Nihila's prior defeat. They are no doubt coming for the tower, and given the timing of their reveal and the activity in the Redblade Mountains, I have no doubt that they are coming for us tonight.

"Pandora Tower's armed guards are defending the perimeter as we speak, so we will get an advance warning if and when the cultists arrive. Those of us still here in the tower will defend it; now that Nihila knows our plans, she may likely have communicated to her cultists that there is a new, clear target. This is good, as it allows us to funnel them to us so that we can defeat them."

Rainbow held up her hooves. "Whoa whoa whoa, hang on, I hope you're not expecting us to kill anypony, are ya?"

"Yeah, I'm all about kickin' some bad guy keister," said Applejack, "but I ain't no killer, even if they're rotten folk."

Curaçao shook her head. "Non. If you don't want to kill them, then don't; just subdue them so that we can take them into custody and we will deal with them later so that you don't have to bloody your hooves. Just be warned: they will definitely be out to kill you."

"Um… what about those of us that can't really help in… in a fight like that?" asked Fluttershy, more than a little bit anxiously.

"If you do not wish to participate in the fighting, then I would suggest that you head down to the Shadow Facility floors. The children are sheltered there, as are other noncombatants, such as my wife and daughter."

Winter nodded and set her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Hourglass is already down there too, so she could use some company watching over all the kids, eh?"

Fluttershy took a breath and nodded. "Okay, that sounds… that's something that I can do, yes. Keep all the little ones calm. I can do that."

Curaçao turned to Rarity. "And Rarity, as for you, I'm having you go to the top of the tower with Pandemonia."

Rarity blinked. "Really? Why?"

"Your 'superpower' as I understand it allows you to empower others' strengths. Pandemonia is not as powerful as Harmonia is in her current state, and so it will take more time for her to disable our Beacon than it will down south. You can help her speed that process along, oui?"

"I see, yes, that sounds like a fine idea. The faster Pandemonia disables the Beacon, the sooner that Harmonia can help us destroy Nihila, right? Rarity nodded firmly. "I can do that."

Zyra stepped up alongside her. "And I shall ensure that you are not in any danger, My Lady."

"Thank you, darling."

Curaçao looked amongst the group. "Everypony else, divide yourselves up as you see fit on the upper floors of the tower; the cultists will attempt to take the elevators up, but the elevators do not go all the way to the roof. A private lounge above Dawn's office is the highest that they can go. After that, they will need to take the stairs."

"So, shouldn't we all be on that floor?" asked Rainbow.

"It's too cramped to fight with this many ponies," Gray said. "Best to just keep a few of us per floor and hold off as many as we can. If these guys are really after Pandemonia then they're gonna just keep going up. Any of them that slip away from one group can be caught by the next group, and so on."

"Exactly," said Havoc with a big grin. "I'll take the outside of the tower with Gray and Dash, just in case these chumps have any pegasi that want to try flying straight up to the top of the tower."

Curaçao nodded. "Oui, a wise idea. Everypony else, as I said, divvy up as you see fit. We have a war to win."

*****

Underneath Pandora Tower, there was a tunnel. It was a new tunnel, actually, one that wasn't supposed to be here, and it carved straight through the metal and cement that made up the tower's base. It had taken years of work for the digging teams to finally get it here, years of careful efforts to dig, dig, dig underneath the most secure location in the entire city without anypony knowing about it.

That was what Power Flux loved about having friends in high places. As he watched the workers carefully using a laser drill to take chunk after chunk of material out of the ceiling above them, he set his hoof onto the shoulder of the stallion next to him.

"This is it, Brother Jackhammer," he said with pride. "Our Dark Lady shall have Her revenge at long last. Ash and blood, Brother. That is all that will remain of this pathetic city when She is done with it."

"And though we may fall in battle," replied Jackhammer, "I do not fear death, for in dying I will become one with the Dark Lady and will only make Her stronger. Long may She reign."

"We could not have done so well without your services, Brother. Without you, we would not know just where to dig without alerting our enemies to our presence and we would not have been able to hide for so long. To have the Taskmaster's favorite engineer in our ranks is quite a boon to our Dark Lady's cause. There will be a seat for your by Her side in the end times."

"I am happy to serve Her in any way I can, Brother."

Flux was about to reply, but then he felt a burning sensation in his head. He clutched his temples in pain as a vision burned itself into his skull:

The top of the tower. The top of the tower. There is a dark light at the top of the tower. Destroy it. Destroy it. The top of the tower. Destroy it. Kill any who stand in the way. The top of the tower.

"Brother Flux!" Jackhammer shouted, shaking Flux out of his stupor. "Are you alright? What's all this about the top of the tower? Is there something that we should know?"

Flux grunted and staggered to his hooves. "I… I have received a vision from our Dark Lady. There is something on the top of Pandora Tower that we must destroy, a dark light. We are to kill any who stand in our way, but that is the priority: the top of the tower must be reached at all costs."

Jackhammer balked. "But… but what of the Traitors? I thought that we were here to kill them?"

"If they are in the way, then we will still kill them, naturally, but they are not the priority any longer. All that matters is making it to the top of the tower and destroying whatever we find there."

"And what of the empowered children? Are we still to capture them for Her?"

Flux paused for a moment, then nodded. "She has made it clear that She wants the children alive, but if they put up a fight and stall us, kill them. All that matters to Her right now is whatever is at the top of the tower. Whatever the cost, we will give our Dark Lady what She desires."

"Very well. Long may She reign, Brother," Jackhammer said, thumping his chest.

"Long may She reign indeed."

One of the workers walked over to the two and gave a little salute. "Brother Flux, we're through."

Flux's lips curled in a sinister grin. "Then the Hour of Reckoning is upon us."

He turned to the substantial number of other ponies behind him in the tunnel; cramped though they might be, they were all armed with the best equipment they could steal from the NPAF, armored with new suits made of an alloy of steel and the strange obsidian the Leaders had sent from the volcanoes, and filled with spirits just waiting to carry out their glorious purpose.

None would stand in their way.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rampage

Twilight lit up her horn and raised a defensive barrier immediately after she, Winter, and Dawn were teleported by the latter to their destination: the top of a building that had been built into the side of the largest volcano in the Redblade Mountains.

Once again, Twilight was impressed with Dawn's teleportation capabilities; the trio of mares ended up exactly on target, and yet the only information that Dawn had was a grainy picture taken by one of those scouting AMP robots days ago. If they were off by even an inch, Twilight couldn't really tell.

There was a delicate hint of magic atop the material of the building, which Twilight recognized as similar to the barrier that she was generating at the moment, which had one simple but very important purpose: protecting those inside from the heat.

"Just some slight adjustments to a standard barrier spell," she observed, "so that it also generates cooling functionality to protect those inside from the intense heat of the volcano. My barrier is similar, but mobile. And, since there are only three of us, I can keep the barrier small so that the cooling is more potent."

"Yeah, it's actually pretty pleasant," Winter noted, nodding with approval. "Like having good AC on a hot summer afternoon."

"So, this is where the cultists are making their base?" Twilight looked around, and from what she could see there was only one building. It was a large building of course, but Twilight had expected just a little more. "How are we going to get in?"

"Observe," Dawn said simply, lighting up her horn. She used her magic to carve a large hole in the roof of the structure, pulling out the remaining material so that it didn't fall through; it reminded Twilight of how a cat burglar would cut through glass in cartoons. She then gestured at the hole. "See? Simple."

"How did you cut through the material without affecting the barrier?" Twilight asked; the glow around the structure hadn't even fluctuated.

"I suspect that the barrier around the structure is designed only to protect from the heat, rather than acting as an actual defensive measure. To also be capable of the latter would imply that these cultists managed to discern the mechanics of Hope's Point's barrier, whereas just protecting from environmental conditions such as extreme heat is a technomagic capability we use in New Pandemonium."

"Where in the world would that come into play?"

"The Foundry, our large-scale smelting and manufacturing plant. Workers there employ suits that generate these barriers to protect them from the heat of the forges." Dawn gestured towards the hole and stepped towards it. "Shall we?"

Dawn jumped in first, then Winter, then Twilight, who dropped her own barrier for now while they were inside. True enough, the protective shield around the base only protected from the heat and Dawn hadn't damaged it in the process of cutting through the roof, though Twilight noticed it was noticeably warmer here than it had been inside her barrier and was growing steadily hotter as more hot air entered the room.

The trio moved to the nearest door that they could find, then quietly made their way through it and out into a hallway, which was much cooler than the room they'd just left. They moved through the hall slowly, doing their best to keep silent and to stick close to the walls so that they didn't attract attention, but after moving through the hall and checking out a few rooms along the way, there was really only one concern:

"Where is everypony?" Twilight asked as they came upon another empty room; it, like the others thus far, was clearly some sort of bedchamber: small, cozy, and spartan. It was also clean and didn't look like it had been used in days.

"Maybe they're wherever this ritual they're performin' is?" Winter suggested. "And if I were a bettin' mare, I'd say that that's inside the volcano itself."

Dawn nodded. "A logical assumption. We ought to proceed with haste, though caution would still be advised."

They continued through the apparently empty structure until they came to a locker room outside some sort of vestibule that, from Twilight guess—she was keeping track of their relative location from where they'd arrived—would lead into the volcano itself. The lockers were mostly empty, except for a few which still had some sort of strange-looking suits inside them. Twilight figured these were the same sort of suits that would be worn by the Foundry workers that Dawn had just described.

Unfortunately, they were of no use to the three mares; they didn't seem to have the elasticity that the Comet Chaser's diving suits had. As such, there were none big enough for Twilight, none small enough for Winter, and none just right enough for Dawn, either. They seemed to have been made to fit specific individuals, and the only one that would fit Dawn had space for wings, not a horn.

Twilight recreated her defensive shield before they proceeded into the vestibule, which did indeed lead into the volcano itself, as she'd suspected. Only it wasn't so much a tunnel that awaited them, at least not a small one, but a huge passageway, larger than even most of the tunnels leading through the Goldridge caverns. It had clearly been dug out with mundane tools rather than with magic, so the walls and ceiling weren't perfectly uniform or smooth.

The tunnel, to Twilight's surprise, descended right into the heart of the volcano, where the tunnel path circled around a huge pool of liquid… well, technically it was still magma at this stage as it hadn't erupted out to reach the surface. The magma was kept in check far below them by what looked like some sort of glowing "net" and was certainly straining against it, but not yet forcing its way through.

To Twilight's further surprise, it wasn't the volcano itself that was generating the smoke, as she could see clearly throughout the entirety of the volcanic cavern without any trouble. The smoke instead seemed to be coming from a tunnel far below them, which made little sense; the central crater was right above them, thus this should be the main reservoir and as such should be generating the smoke.

There was something unnatural about this volcano.

As the trio descended down the path that circled around the magma below, Twilight noticed something and drew it to the attention of the others: "Why does it look like they've been mining the inside of the volcano?" she asked, gesturing at some mundane mining equipment near what looked like veins of iron in the walls.

"The Redblade Mountains are abundant with magic, hence why the volcanoes are in a perpetually active state," Dawn explained, eyeing the iron vein. "Volcanic iron, as such, is tinged with magical properties that make it more resilient than bog-standard iron. Naturally it is significantly more difficult to obtain; the costs involved outweigh the benefits."

"Then how are these cultists mining it without your resources?" Winter asked.

Dawn grunted. "How, I do not know, but they are evidently a resourceful bunch, to my continued consternation."

They came across a tunnel shortly after a few more iron veins, which was where the encircling path ended. "Well, looks like we're taking a detour," Twilight said, gesturing into the tunnel. "It looks like it leads around and out to another path below."

"Why doesn't Dawn just teleport us?" Winter asked.

Twilight blinked, then laughed. "Oh yeah. Sorry, I'm so used to just following the path when my friends and I go on our own adventures back home that I didn't even think of using such a simple shortcut." She glanced at Dawn. "You think you're up for it?"

Dawn stuck her nose in the air, her lips curled in a smirk. "Naturally I am 'up' for performing this incredibly simple task. I appreciate the oppor—"

Twilight held up her hoof. "Wait. Did you hear that?"

Dawn and Winter paused, then shook their heads. "Hear what?" they asked together.

Twilight gestured for the two to keep quiet and listen, then perked up her own ears for the sound again. Though it took a few seconds, she heard it again, somewhere off in the tunnel. A voice, it sounded like. It was so quiet from here that Twilight couldn't make out anything else about it except that it was a voice, not just some random sound.

"I heard it too," Winter said, her own ears perked. "Cultists?"

"Maybe," Twilight agreed. "Keep your guards up. We should check this out in case they know something useful."

Dawn tapped her hoof on the floor. "Would it not be more to our benefit to proceed to the caliginous tunnel below? Logic dictates that whatever profane ritual these cultists are preparing for will be executed in whatever lies within that tunnel."

"True, but if there are still any of Nihila's cultists around here, maybe they'd know how to stop the ritual?"

"Hmm. Potentially."

"Sure, as if they'd tell us anything," Winter grunted. "This ritual is supposed to be summonin' their 'goddess' to them, eh? I'd bet they'd give their lives to make sure it goes off without a hitch."

"If need be, I am capable of being quite persuasive," Dawn said with a little grin.

"C'mon, let's find out what the noise is before we get ahead of ourselves," Twilight said, gesturing for them to follow.

They proceeded into the tunnel, moving more slowly now that they knew there was likely somepony nearby. As they moved along, the voice became a little more clear, until eventually what it was saying was easier to understand: it was weakly calling for help.

And then, as the trio rounded the next corner, Twilight discovered that the voice wasn't weak because it was far away. It was weak because the source of the voice was weak. Her eyes widened with shock when she came across what looked like some sort of pen that was holding dozens of equine creatures.

"Kirins?" Twilight breathed, glancing at Winter. "You never told me that this world had kirins."

"I didn't know this world had kirins," Winter said, her eyes as wide as Twilight's as she glanced at the other pens along the wall of the tunnel, each holding dozens of kirin just like this one. "What the hell is all this?"

Twilight noticed a difference between the kirins of her world and those of this one: their horns. All of the kirins she could see in these pens had horns that looked like they were made of pure iron, and each and every one of them seemed to have a unique shape. Other than that they were the same as the kirins she knew: equine shape, lion-like manes, scales on their backs, etcetera. Their colorations were much more earth-toned, however.

The kirin who had been calling out was positioned right at the edge of the pen against a locked gate. A youngish female, from Twilight's guess; it was hard to tell since she, and the others in the pen, all seemed to be malnourished, and all of them roughly this mare's age. She had a fiery-red coat underneath her obsidian-black scales, and her mane was a bright, sunny orange with white tips. Her horn was curved like a sickle, with the tip facing forwards.

The kirin noticed the sudden appearance of Twilight and her friends, and, to Twilight's relief, she looked right at them with wide, hopeful eyes. "Help!" she called, her voice raspy. "Please!"

Twilight turned to Dawn as they approached. "Dawn, get all these gates open," she said firmly.

Dawn hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "My initial concerns of them being a potential threat seem ill-conceived given their sickly appearances. One moment."

She lit up her horn and fired a tiny blast at the gate that the pleading kirin was next to, and the lock simply disintegrated; the blast then automatically chained its way over to the gate of the next pen down, then the next, and so on. Though the gates were unlocked and opened now, the kirin inside the pens seemed wary of leaving.

"It's okay, everyone," Twilight called out so that all of the kirins could hear her. "We're not here to hurt you. We want to help." She turned to the kirin mare that had called to her and gave her a kind smile. "What's your name?"

The kirin gulped. "My name's Kwake."

"It's good to meet you, Kwake. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Winter Glow and Golden Dawn. Can you tell me what happened here? Why are you all locked up in these pens?"

"The demon worshipping ponies made us their prisoners," Kwake said, tears in her eyes. "They found our village under the red mountains and took us from our homes, then forced us to mine and dig for them. They killed anykirin who resisted them. Most of the Obsidian Clan are dead because they tried to fight back."

"You're safe now, Kwake, I promise," Twilight said. "We don't have any food on us to offer you, but you and your people need to get someplace safe. My friends and I are here to… deal with these 'demon worshippers', and time is of the essence. It might get dangerous to be around here."

Kwake looked a little shaken. "Someplace… safe. Soon, no place will be safe…"

Twilight tilted her head. "What does that mean?"

"The demon worshippers have desecrated the Cradle of the Mother with their foul ceremonies, and they've said that their demon mistress has roused the Mother from Her eternal slumber. If She should wake, then all will burn. The Mother is a legend of my people, an unstoppable force foretold to bring an end to the world."

"Oh. Well… that doesn't sound good."

"You said that you're here to stop the demon worshippers?" Kwake said, looking among the three mares. "If you are, maybe you can stop them before the Mother fully wakes. Even if the odds are slim, we would still try to flee to safety, but… we cannot return to our home. There is nothing left there."

"Hmm. Well, how about you head east to the Wasteland beyond the volcanoes? There's a city there, New Pandemonium." Twilight gestured at Dawn. "My friend Dawn lives there, and she can help you all with food and shelter—"

"No," Dawn said simply.

"What?" Twilight asked, eyebrow raised.

Dawn shook her head. "It would be unwise to venture east towards New Pandemonium. The fleets are gathered in the skies above the Wasteland there, and there is most certainly to be a conflict that may present a danger. I am doubtful that they would even reach the Wasteland in a single day in their current state, but still, we know little of how the fighting may proceed.

"They should instead head west and approach Hope's Point from its east side. Queen Blackburn would be better suited to provide sanctuary at any rate; I have my doubts that the New Pandemonium citizens would be so welcoming of outsiders just yet." A pause. "Though naturally they will require enlightenment soon, I feel that now is not the appropriate juncture."

Winter tilted her head. "Really? You're just givin' up the chance to be a savior to these kirin?"

"Indeed. Needlessly attempting to accomplish feats to the potential detriment of others is unacceptable behavior; if anything it comes across as a pathetic rodomontade. I will naturally facilitate assistance with these kirin however I can, but as Twilight has said, time is of the essence. Best that we carry forward."

"Hooly dooly, ain't that a kick, eh? Good on ya, Dawn." Winter said with a pleasant smirk. She turned to Twilight and tilted her head towards Dawn. "Ya hearin' this? Somepony's growin' up."

"That's a very selfless thing to do, Dawn, even if that sounds… contradictory," Twilight said with a grin. She shook her head, then gestured at the malnourished kirin, who were now beginning to slowly trickle out of their pens now that the three pony mares didn't seem like a threat. "What about food and water? We can't just leave them like this."

"We will be fine," said Kwake with a firm nod. "There are plentiful magmaberry bushes along the western ridge that can serve as food, and my people do not require drinking water. If you are here to stop the demon worshippers, then we do not want to hinder you further."

"You're awfully articulate for such a young mare," Winter noted. "How old are you, like… twenty?"

Kwake frowned. "Twenty-two. And I learned to speak articulately from our clan's previous chieftain, my father. He is dead now, killed by these evil ponies… and so now I am the Chieftess of the Iron Clan. What is left of us, at any rate. The Obsidian Clan will join us as well, though I don't know who leads them now."

Dawn glanced amongst the crowd; her attention seemed drawn to a small number of kirin, only about twenty or so, whose horns were not made of iron, but of obsidian. Her eyes widened. "Ah… are these kirin here members of this 'Obsidian Clan' you mentioned?"

Kwake looked over, then gave a solemn nod. "Yes. Those are… those are all that is left of their clan. The demon worshippers made a show of killing them whenever anykirin spoke out of turn, even those from our own clan. They take their horns to make weapons and armor. I have seen them do it."

"I have encountered one such weapon, a dagger. Knowing now where it originates from is… horrifying." Dawn sighed and shook her head. "A truly immeasurable tragedy; such cruelty is despicable and will not be tolerated further. Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions."

"Where are all of these 'demon worshippers'?" Twilight asked Kwake. "They just left you all here? Why?"

"They left days ago. I wish that I knew why they left, but they clearly thought that we would starve to death," Kwake replied. "I believe that only two are still left here, whom the others called 'Leaders'. They remained here to perform their demonic ritual to wake the Mother, down in the deepest part of the volcano."

"Shit, then it's already starting. C'mon, let's get moving," Winter said, gesturing towards the other end of the tunnel.

"Right behind you," Twilight said. She turned to Kwake and gave her a firm nod. "Safe travels, Kwake. When this is all over, we'll send help for you and your people, I promise."

"Good luck, friends," Kwake responded with a wave. "You will need it if we are to survive."

Twilight and the others proceeded further through the tunnel until they reached the other end, which led them back into the large magma chamber. They descended further along the path until they reached the tunnel that was spewing smoke, whereupon Twilight adjusted her barrier spell to deflect smoke particles so that she and her friends didn't need to breathe it in.

Winter then suddenly paused and drew out her Timekeeper, which was vibrating and glowing green. "Fuck! We need to move—"

A tremendous laughter, followed by a bloodcurdling scream interrupted her; it was a masculine voice, from what Twilight could tell. Shortly after the scream, Winter's little pocket watch glowed even brighter.

Twilight didn't need Winter to repeat herself; she and the others moved more quickly than before towards the end of the tunnel. She could feel the intense magic in the air the closer they got. Something was coming, and if Twilight's prior experiences with this sort of thing were any indication, it was probably too late to stop it. That just seemed to be the way of it, didn't it? The heroes always arrived just in time… to not preemptively stop the villains.

At the end of the tunnel, Twilight and the others came to a large, domed room that had been clearly carved out of the rock with great care. There was a raised chunk of rock in the center of the room, atop which was another rock, this one egg-shaped and strewn with cracks which billowed thick, black smoke tinged with flames. The room was so hot that Twilight had to strengthen her barrier just to keep the heat manageable.

There was also a body here, or rather, what was left of one. Judging by the size and shape of the recently-dead corpse, it was a unicorn stallion with a yellow coat, though most of him was covered by a blood-stained black cloak that was otherwise untarnished. Twilight had seen a dead pony before—death was a natural part of life after all, and she'd attended funerals and studied medicine over the years—but she'd never seen one so mutilated.

There was also another unicorn stallion in the room, standing before the egg-shaped rock, looking right through the three mares who had just walked in. Twilight barely resisted the urge to vomit; the stallion's skin was gone and his muscles were quickly melting into nothing, then his bones. It all happened so fast that neither her nor Dawn could react, and Winter's reaction was to stare at her Timekeeper.

Then all of the air in the room instantly gathered into a point just a few feet in front of the egg rock, along with all of the light, smoke, fire, blood, and stray bits of rock. The air returned a second later, and with it, a vortex of darkness filled with unrecognizable nebulae and ribbons of magic.

Twilight recognized the way the vortex looked without a glimmer of doubt: this was the same sort of portal that had drawn her and her friends into this world just one month ago, far more dangerous in appearance than the sort that had drawn them to the world seven years ago.

Winter frantically worked her Timekeeper in an attempt to close it, the entire reason she'd even come along on the trip, and for a moment it seemed like it was working; the portal shrank down from about a dozen feet across to less than ten.

But then there was another surge of energy, powerful enough that Twilight and the others could feel it through the barrier, powerful enough that it knocked Winter off her hooves completely, pushed Dawn back several feet, and even shifted Twilight slightly.

From out of the vortex stepped an alicorn, slender in figure and taller than any alicorn Twilight knew, even Celestia and Pandemonia. Her coat was absolutely black, such that the light in the room did not even shine off of the contours of her muscles or joints; her mane was made of white smoke, long and flowing like Celestia's; her wings were made of pure fire and her horn made of churning magma that did not drip in the slightest. Her eyes, Twilight's recognized, for those same star-filled eyes had stared back at her when she lost control of her viewing spell.

There wasn't any doubt in Twilight's mind who it was she was looking at.

"Nihila, I presume?" she asked, her eyes narrowed and her barrier empowered in preparation for an attack.

When Nihila spoke, she did so without a mouth, and yet the words were very clearly originating from where her mouth should have been. "How very perceptive of you, Twilight Sparkle. I can see why your pathetic comrades consider you 'intelligent'."

Her voice was… Twilight couldn't rightly describe it. It was discernibly feminine, but carried an echo to it that kept it ringing in Twilight's ears, and a sort of unpleasant alienness to it that made Twilight's head ache tremendously. This wasn't the voice of any living creature that Twilight had ever heard before; this was the voice of something beyond.

Nihila took a single step forward, her movement unnaturally amorphous despite her equine form; Dawn and Winter lit up their horns in preparation for combat… but Nihila did nothing remotely hostile, at least not at the moment. Instead she looked down at what remained of the corpse that Twilight had seen earlier; now there was little more than a cloak and a small puddle of blood.

"I see that you were too late to meet my 'Warden' and his brother. A pity. I believe that they had a grand speech prepared for you all. If I were to venture a guess, you were slowed by assisting those pitiful slaves with their escape?"

"If you mean the kirins, then yes, we ensured that they got far away from here, and from you. You can't hurt them anymore." Twilight dug her hooves into the dirt. "You won't hurt anyone anymore, not if we have anything to say about it."

"Oh, I am afraid that there is very little that you have to say—"

Dawn interjected by firing a blast of magic right at Nihila's face; Twilight noticed Winter briefly glance at her Timekeeper in the process.

Nihila didn't even attempt to deflect the blast, she just dodged it; well, not so much dodged it as she just molded herself around the blast as it moved so that it didn't make contact with her. The blast struck the wall behind her, ripping it apart with the force of a grenade; Twilight had watched some "vids" in Hope's Point to learn how things in this world worked, so she'd see what kind of weapons the ponies here in the north had built.

"—about it," Nihila finished.

"Enough prattle!" Dawn snapped, her horn still alight in preparation for another strike. "Your existence is a cancer upon our world. It ends now."

"Hmph, spoken like the worthless spawn that you are. A cancer, am I? Then what does that make you, I wonder?" Nihila laughed; though the alicorn's laughter wasn't quite so high-pitched, the sound still made Twilight twitch in irritation, like scraping a fork along a glass window. "You cannot hope to touch me, wretch, not as you are. You are weak. Pathetic. Irrelevant."

Dawn growled in annoyance, then fired another blast of magic at the alicorn; again, Twilight noticed Winter looking at her Timekeeper—was it glowing? Again, however, Nihila effortlessly defended herself, this time igniting her own horn—the magma glowed white hot—and deflecting the bolt off to the side of the room, where it exploded like a missile. The entire room shook from the impact.

"Dawn, be careful," Twilight said softly. "We don't want to bring down the entire volcano on top of us."

Dawn grunted, her teeth clenched with anger. "She should not be capable of defending herself from my magic so readily. She was not this powerful when we faced her last."

"Oh, did you think that this would be easy, little worm?" Nihila said, unfurling her wings. "Why? Because the last time we met your treacherous 'father' used a trap to force me from the Dreaming and into a weakened physical form? You faced me at a fraction of my power before; now, you face me at my full strength.

"I must thank you for that, of course," Nihila continued, pacing in front of the egg-shaped rock. "Your blind ineptitude allowed my loyal pawns to feed me with thousands of souls over these seven years. I have regained the power that was unjustly robbed from me, and now this world shall pay for your insolent refusal to heel."

Dawn snarled and fired another blast; this time, Nihila's horn ignited and the bolt evaporated into nothing.

"You're stalling for something," Twilight said, her eyes constantly tracking Nihila's movements and waiting for an attack, any attack at all, but still Nihila did not strike. "If you were so powerful, why would you need to stall? Why not just destroy us now if you're so confident?"

Nihila had no mouth, and yet Twilight was certain that the alicorn was giving her a cocky smile. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle, still so perceptive. You are right, of course; I am stalling, but that fault lies with those miserable piles of scrap that you call 'fleets'. They are not yet in position, and so I must wait. It troubles me not; I have all the time in the world."

"We already figured that you were waiting to spring whatever 'trap' you have waiting for them in the smoke. Well, unfortunately for you, you're not just dealing with the NPAF's fleet, but with the fleet of Hope's Point as well."

"Oh yes indeed, and your all must think you are all so very clever in hiding your glorious schemes from me. I will give credit where credit is due, of course, as the reappearance of my former host in a physical form was not something that I accounted for. But it will not matter in the end."

Twilight snorted. "Whatever ships you've built can't possibly stand up against both fleets."

"Whoever said that my pawns were building ships?" Nihila laughed again, then turned and placed her hoof upon the egg-shaped rock. "Are you not wondering why they came here? Why they sought out this phenomenal treasure?" She turned back to Twilight. "This is the resting place of the Mother of Calamity. A legendary destructive force that will burn this entire world down to ashes.

"The minotaurs spun tales of her power. Within mere hours, she reduced an entire continent into a smoldering ruin. That was a power that I desired; the power to destroy everything so utterly that none would be able to stand in my way. And once this world was burned, I would seek out another, as I have done countless times before.

"But my plans changed when I saw what you have become, Twilight Sparkle," Nihila said, stepping back towards the group, her tone hinting at a wicked smile that wasn't there. "Now, the Calamity is merely a tool to crush my enemies in this world, no longer suitable as a host, just as Pandemonia is no longer suitable. I desire a new vessel for my essence, one with truly unlimited potential and power. That vessel… is you."

Twilight steeled her jaw. "Whatever you think you're going to do, it's not going to work. I'll never submit to you or whatever scheme you've got cooked up for me. My friends and I will stop you. Together."

"Hmm. We shall see. But now, ah, your fleets are in position and ready for the Calamity to descend upon them. You seem so confident in their ability to win, but I doubt that they will even survive. I do hope that no one important to you is present." She lifted a hoof towards the smoky ceiling. "Watch as this pathetic world burns."

The smoke ignited into the most intense flames that Twilight had ever felt before. Even through her barrier, she buckled from the sheer heat; she needed to expend more energy just to keep the flames from burning her and her friends alive. The flames continued all the way out of the tunnel, spreading through the smoke like it was gasoline and filling the chamber with a terrifying cry of anguish and rage.

*****

Blackburn was situated in a glass tube within the cockpit of the Wyvern, the flagship of the Hope's Point fleet and the personal airship of Her Majesty herself. Instead of her normal white jacket, she wore a flight suit, red and gold like the primary colors of her city, and a pair of goggles over her eyes to protect her from the wind shear in the tube. She still had on her green and gold scarf, of course; until she passed it down to Bluebolt, it would always be her good luck charm.

Over her wings was a black substance that all of the airships used so that their pilots could fly their ships. The substance was filled with nanomachines that interfaced with the ship's flight controls, giving the pilot precision control; the maneuverability of each ship in the fleet could nearly match a flesh-and-blood pegasus, and this material over the pilots' wings allowed them to fly as if they were, well, flying. It was what gave their ships the advantage over anything in the NPAF over the last few decades.

The tube itself was also filled with air that was constantly being recycled via fans and vents, which were in turn linked to external sensors outside the ship to mimic wind conditions; again, this was to further allow the fleet's pilots to fly with the precision that they would have even outside their ship.

Gadget sat a console in the cockpit, as she served as Blackburn's engineer and co-pilot. The co-pilot's job was threefold: one, control the weapon systems; two, monitor ship status and make adjustments to ship parameters to fit the pilot's needs, such as diverting power to other systems; three, provide moral—and tactical—support.

Right now, the Wyvern hovered in place over the western Wastelands, in position and prepared for combat with whatever happened to come out of the smoke cloud over the Redblade Mountains. Behind her was every combat-ready ship in her fleet, totalling at exactly thirty ships. The number was less than it would have been, say, six years ago, but the peace treaty with New Pandemonium had forced her to modify several ships so that they couldn't be used for war at all.

From here, she could just barely make out the small dots that consisted of the NPAF fleet that was joining her for this operation, led by their as-of-yet unused Dragon-class dreadnought, which was bigger than any ship the NPAF had ever or would ever build. Their fleet was also smaller than it should have been, in part because of the same procedures her fleet was going through, but also because Admiral Jetstream hadn't brought every ship that was available.

"Every ship in the fleet is being remotely operated by AMP Command units which in turn respond directly to me," Jetstream had said in the brief coordination meeting that morning. "I only have so many Command units, so I'll only be bringing the amount of ships that I can actually field. It's not as much as I'd like, but it's what I've got."

"Why so few?" Blackburn had asked.

"Spymaster Curaçao is concerned that, should there still be seditious elements—read: Nihila cultists—in the fleet's rank-and-file, we run the risk of betrayal from within. I'm going to be the only flesh-and-blood NPAF soldier on the field today, kids."

"Hmm. Acceptable choice," she'd replied. "Aware of your proficiency with AMP command, led to promotion through ranks to Commander; accusations of nepotism unwarranted, skills spoke for themselves. Unfortunate circumstances, but acceptable."

Pulling herself back to the present, Blackburn glanced over at Gadget. "Anything?"

"Negative, Your Majesty, no movement yet," Gadget replied after checking her monitors, holding a headset to her ear. "None of our ships are reporting anything either, and joint communications say that Admiral Jetstream's ships aren't picking up anything. Nothing but smoke at the moment."

"Hmm. Patch us through to Admiral Jetstream."

"Right away, Your Majesty."

After a brief moment of static, Blackburn heard Jetstream's voice crackle over the intercom in her tube. "Your Majesty. I take it that you're not getting any more data than I am?"

"Negative," Blackburn grunted. "Nothing but smoke."

Jetstream sighed. "Yup, same here. Y'know, the AMP scouts never actually saw anything being built. We only managed to find the cultists' hideout or whatever it is, and we sure as hell didn't see any facilities anywhere where they could've been building something."

"You think this is a false alarm." It wasn't a question.

"I've been thinking that for a while, but I figured that on the off-chance that we were right, it was better to be safe rather than sorry. Especially in this case."

"True. Still, potential for hidden facilities, unclear if enemy faction possessed such resources. Better safe than sorry, as said." Blackburn sighed and shook her head. "Don't like waiting, knowing friends, family, in danger while we sit. Makes me nervous."

"I hear ya, though for me it's more boring. I should be putting my AMP skills to use protecting the tow—"

A loud warning beep emitted from one of Gadget's stations. Blackburn immediately turned her attention to her co-pilot. "Report."

"We've got movement," Gadget said, sliding her chair along the monitoring station to the device in question. "Lots of movement, actually."

"How many ships?"

Gadget read through the data on her screen, then shook her head. "That can't be right…"

"Gadget. How many ships?"

"According to this, just one. It's big, but the movement is consistent with a single craft rather than multiple." Gadget shook her head. "Whatever it is, I don't have anything like it in my profile collection, so it's not some modified NPAF cruiser or something like that."

Blackburn hummed. "Reports from the rest of the fleet?"

"I'm getting the same info over comm chatter: one big ship."

"Jetstream?"

Jetstream grunted; he sounded disbelieving. "Yeah, I'm getting the same data on my end. Whatever it is, it's almost half as big as the Dragon-class, which just can't be right. This damn tin can is a half-mile long and cost the NPAF billions of bits in resources to build. How could they—"

A piercing screech from the smoke cloud filled the air, so loud that Blackburn could hear it from here. It sounded almost avian; had whatever ship was hiding just activated weapons systems?

Blackburn got her answer when the smoke itself ignited into flames as a gigantic flaming bird burst through the cloud like a missile. She squinted to get a better look, activating the zoom function on her ship's viewscreen. The bird wasn't just on fire, it was made of fire and lava together in some horrid, churning amalgamation.

And it was coming straight at the Hope's Point fleet. And fast; the sensors on the viewscreen indicated that the bird was traveling at almost supersonic speed; there was a huge cloud of dust, smoke, and ash billowing from the ground far beneath it as its sheer size and speed generated massive winds.

"That's… one big fuck-off bird…" Jetstream muttered through the comm channel.

"Your Majesty, the fleet is requesting orders," Gadget chirped.

"Have all ships prepare to fire, and have the Lightning Lance fire her long-range cannons," Blackburn said calmly.

"Sending orders through. Lightning Lance is charging cannons." Gadget glanced at the viewscreen and shook her head. "Golly, that thing is moving fast."

"Estimated time to reach fleet?"

"Thirty seconds." A pause. "The Lightning Lance is prepared to fire and is awaiting confirmation."

"Fire."

"Roger."

Blackburn watched on her viewscreen as a huge bolt of energy fired out of the long-range cannon aboard the Lightning Lance, which had originally been designated as a support-fire ship for a war that never happened, then was converted to a cargo vessel because of its size, and now was a warship once again.

The blast struck the huge bird in its left wing, and the avian veered and slowed a tiny bit… but it didn't stop. Considering that the Lightning Lance's main gun was supposed to be capable of piercing straight through durasteel, this was more than a little troublesome.

"Did that thing just tank a shot from the Lightning Lance like it was nothing?" Gadget quipped, eyes wide. "What the hell is this thing?"

"Inform me when it enters our maximum firing range," Blackburn said, her eyes focused on the bird as it regained its original flight path.

"Yes ma'am." A pause of several seconds. "The target has entered fleet attack range."

"All ships, open fire."

Blackburn watched as her screen was filled with the weaponry of every ship in the Hope's Point fleet as they fired on command, from energy weapons to flak cannons, missile launchers to straightforward bullets.

The bird didn't just keep moving forward, it charged forward, beating its wings once—a gigantic shockwave of dust burst out from the ground below—and making a beeline straight for the Lightning Lance. It would still take several seconds for the creature to reach its apparent target, of course, and the airship was quite limber for its size.

Of course, since the Lightning Lance was above the main formation, there were about eight ships in the way. "All ships, evasive maneuvers," Blackburn said, still calm; this bird was unnerving, but despite its speed, her ships were faster and more maneuver—

Her train of thought crashed when the giant avian opened its beak and spewed a stream of what looked like liquid fire right at the Lightning Lance, and with surprising accuracy. The flame didn't just cut through the ship's shields, it basically ignored them, hitting the ship itself and melting a hole right through the main gun on the belly and coming straight out through the top.

"Holy shit!" blurted Gadget.

Blackburn's Wyvern and the rest of the fleet swerved out of the way of the bird as it flew up towards the damaged Lightning Lance and just slammed right into it; its sheer size alone meant that they were lucky that the rest of the ships were so agile, as it quite nearly caught several other ships in its way; they were knocked off-course a bit by the winds the beast generated just by moving, but that was it, thankfully.

Nevertheless, the Lightning Lance crumbled apart and exploded in an enormous fireball; the shot it had taken had so utterly crippled its maneuverability that it hadn't even been able to remotely get out of the way.

And yet the bird just kept going, as if it hadn't just rammed into twenty-two thousand pounds of metal, and though it was not as maneuverable as the smaller ships, it was still able to fly and turn in the air like a giant hawk, just less gracefully.

Luckily this meant that it was behind the Hope's Point fleet now, and all of the ship were in a full evasive mindset, including Blackburn herself, who shifted her viewscreen's view to one of the rear cameras so that she could monitor the situation.

The fleet had miles and miles of empty wastes to fly over, which they made use of to gain some distance. The giant bird gave chase, and for a moment it looked like that was all that they would need to do: lead this thing on a chase until whatever the other teams were doing succeeded.

Blackburn figured that this creature was some creation of Nihila's; without her control, maybe it would stop, or die, or just disappear altogether?

To her surprise and horror, though, the bird was far quicker than its size indicated, and after a few flaps of its wings for acceleration—sending out more huge shockwaves of dust and dirt below—it was now flying fast enough that it quickly caught up with two of the slower, heavier ships in the fleet: the Fat Hornet and the ironically-named Slim Sabre.

Like a hawk catching prey, it lifted up its massive talons and snatched the two ships up like fleeting mice, carrying so much power in its attack that their shields didn't even put up a resistance.

It clearly had no intention of bringing them to its nest; it simply squeezed down and crushed both ships in its grip; molten metal rained down on the wastes below like breadcrumbs, complete with the smoldering hulls of what was left of both.

And yet the bird didn't even slow down as it continued forward, now starting to catch up to the faster ships.

"Your Majesty, the NPAF is in range to provide fire support," came Jetstream's voice over the comms.

"Our last volley didn't affect it!" Blackburn called back. "So unless you've got something big, don't waste your time, just pull back!"

There was a pause. "I'll give the Dragon's main gun a shot, then; it's the most powerful gun in the fleet. Try to keep your boys and girls scattered."

"Roger that."

Blackburn didn't need to order the fleet to scatter; they'd already done it automatically once it was clear that the damned firebird could actually keep up with them.

The beast was undeterred; it just changed directions with relative ease and moved after some of the fleeing ships, then opened its beak and spewed out another quick-moving gout of liquid flame at the nearest ship to it, the Sky Hammer. The flames struck, ripped right through the shields, and literally cut the ship in half.

Beyond the sheer terror and surprise that their enemy was some sort of enormous firebird, Blackburn was awed by how much destructive power it wielded. The fleet's ships were constructed of military-grade durasteel, a metallic alloy with a melting point of roughly two thousand degrees kelvin; to melt through them with such ease would be improbable.

Not impossible, no; she'd seen Havoc do it with her own two eyes. But not this easily.

Her thoughts were drawn back to the moment when she realized that the Wyvern was the next ship in the bird's sights. She was more glad than ever that her ship was the fastest in the fleet, but she wasn't confident that she didn't need more speed; her shields were likely worthless, and her weapons alone wouldn't do anything noticeable.

"Gadget, issue order to all ships: divert all shield and weapon power to engines," she said, rolling her shoulders briefly before taking off towards the volcanoes.

"Roger that," Gadget said, performing the same adjustments for the Wyvern.

With the extra engine power, the Wyvern almost immediately broke the sound barrier and rocketed towards the Redblade Mountains, the firebird on its tail but losing ground fast.

It opened its beak to spew more flames, but Blackburn rolled the instant she saw it do so; the gout just skimmed her starboard wing, causing some proximity alarms to go off in the cockpit as the heat caused slight damage to the metal.

Another gout, another roll, this time much better; her portside wing didn't even get close to the flames at all.

Blackburn wasn't sure before if the bird could get angry—its targeting of the Lightning Lance earlier could have just been a reaction to actually getting hurt—but judging by the way it was chasing her now, she believed that yes, it could. Because it was.

It flapped its wings again to gain another burst of speed, and now it was able to keep up with her; the sonic boom had been so loud and powerful that Blackburn could feel it in the Wyvern.

Blackburn didn't want to chance the idea that she could outrun it. Instead, she abruptly dove down and focused more on her agility, bobbing left and right to make the damned thing chase her erratically.

Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect she wanted; instead of getting angry and chasing her down, it got angry and turned its attention elsewhere, veering off towards some of the other ships, which were indeed trying to get its attention off of the Wyvern.

Luckily, before it could get too far and chase off after what looked like the Alpha Dog, a huge energy blast exploded into the giant firebird's side, and to Blackburn's delight, it actually worked.

The damned bird tumbled and spiraled towards the Wasteland below, hitting the ground with such impact that it created a flat crater. Its body cooled such that it looked like it was made of smoldering embers and molten rock.

"Nice shot, Jetstream!" Blackburn called into the comm channel.

"Hell yes it was," Jetstream called back. "I don't think that did the trick just yet, though, so I'm charging another shot. Might take me another few—"

The firebird started stirring and rising back upright; its flames reignited, not to their original intensity, but brighter.

"Oh. Well shit."

The firebird screeched, then took to the air like a proper bird of prey and made straight for the NPAF fleet, all of which besides the Dragon-class were still in the midst of falling back to the city.

Blackburn turned to Gadget. "All ships converge on the NPAF flagship, full power to weapons, open fire on target."

"Roger that," Gadget replied.

Though it took the bird a few moments to regain its speed, it was more than able to do so before the Dragon could fire off another shot from its main gun. As it reached the half-mile flagship, it soared up and grasped both talons onto its hull; the Dragon had no shields—NPAF ships relied on weight and armor for defense—so it was able to do so without resistance, if any shields would've put up any resistance in the first place.

The Hope's Point fleet converged on the target as ordered, and, just as the bird opened its beak to spew liquid flame onto the Dragon, opened fire. With full power to weapons, even without some of the heaviest hitters, it was enough to shake the bird's grip and make it stumble.

So instead it fired the liquid flame at a nearby Hope's Point ship, the Gold Nugget, piercing straight through the cockpit; the airship immediately spiraled down and crashed in the wastes below.

Blackburn had already been shaken, but this wasn't helping; nearly twenty percent of her fleet had been destroyed; she'd lost five good pilots and their ships' crews. And still, the most that they'd been able to do to this damned firebird was knock it on its ass once, and that wasn't even due to one of her ships.

"If your ships can get this fucking thing off my hull and somewhere under my ship, I've got the main gun charged!" Jetstream called out over the comms. "Any time now would be good! None of my ships are in position!"

"Trying to!" Blackburn snapped; if their weapons had any sort of real effect, maybe they could dislodge it.

As the bird fired another flame gout and took down the Tidal Wave, there came another crackle over the comms. "Your Majesty, this is Captain Rollerblade of the Noisy Cricket."

Blackburn looked about with her ship's cameras to try and locate the ship in question. "What is it, Captain?"

"I ordered my crew to escape pods and transferred all my power to the engines. I'm gonna ram this turkey."

"What?" Blackburn blurted; she'd finally located the Noisy Cricket, one of the largest ships left in the war fleet. "What are you—"

"A hit at full engine power with this much weight behind it oughta ruin its day, Your Majesty. Collision course has already been engaged.'

Blackburn paused; the Noisy Cricket was indeed barreling right at the firebird at supersonic speed; the sonic boom had even attracted its attention. "Thank you, Captain," she said.

"It's been an honor—"

The ship slammed into the firebird with enough explosive force to knock it right off the Dragon's hull, though its talons did leave a wicked gash in the ship in the process, and the Noisy Cricket's explosion didn't help matters.

But it was enough. "Eat shit, you overgrown chicken!" snapped Jetstream as the Dragon fired another blast.

The explosion sent the firebird tumbling through the sky again, where again it crashed into the Wasteland with an enormous thud, this time sliding along and leaving a gouge in the earth in its wake. The intensity of its flames died down again into smoldering embers…

Only for them to reignite a moment later, just as before.

"How many times do I need to shoot this fucker?!" blurted Jetstream. "I'm just drifting now, Blackburn, I don't think I've got another shot left in the Dragon. What's the plan? I'm running out of ideas."

If Blackburn could slump down, she would; she'd never felt more defeated in all her years. "Nothing we have is even denting it…" she muttered.

The firebird let out another screech towards the Dragon and spread its wings in preparation to take off again, but, to Blackburn's surprise, it paused. It paused, and it slowly turned its attention north.

It was at this point that Blackburn realized that the fighting, which was supposed to have taken place far enough into the Wastelands to be of no danger to anypony, had been drawn to about thirty miles from the walls of New Pandemonium City. The walls which were very tall, and which had even taller skyscrapers right behind them.

So, to Blackburn's continued horror, the enormous firebird took off, but instead of going back towards the fleet of ships that had been pestering it at best, it flew north.

"Oh no…"

*****

Fluttershy had all sorts of emotions running through her body right now, but most of them could be described best as different variants of "scared" or "nervous". Curaçao had made her feel like she and the young ponies here in the "Shadow Facility" would be safe, what with the elevators being disabled for the entire building and the doors all being locked and protected behind security passwords, but that only kept her from going into a full-on anxiety attack.

Luckily, she did have some calming effects present.

The youngsters around her were one such effect, as she generally got along well with younger colts and fillies and this group here were all just the most precious little things. They all had their own outfits—though they looked like they'd been dressing themselves, mostly—and some even had little accessories to help them with their powers, the same way that Sunspire had his goggles.

If they were older, they might resemble some sort of superhero team from Spike's comic books.

Another such effect was Hourglass who, while being young herself, was certainly acting like a proper adult and doing a good job of acting like a big sister of sorts to the kids. She was particularly doing so with Sunspire, who was introducing her to everypony who was here on the "learning" floor with them. These weren't all of the kids, Fluttershy noticed; some of them had likely decided to bunker up in their dorm rooms on the floors below them.

The other thing that was keeping her calm was that there was another real adult presence here in Shroud, Curaçao's wife. Though she'd brought their daughter Jellybean, an even younger filly, the other mare was taking charge to make sure that everypony was keeping quiet and calm so that if any bad ponies happened to be moving through the tower, they'd skip these floors for sure.

At the moment, however, Shroud was occupying her daughter's attention with some sort of game on one of those fancy datapad gizmos. The game looked relatively simple, just amounting to a matching game with colors and symbols, and it was quite vibrant so that it would keep the little filly's focus. Simple didn't mean easy, though, but Jellybean was still getting good scores as far as Flutteshy could tell.

Fluttershy, seated in the chair next to them in what was some sort of eating area, gave Shroud a pleasant little smile. "You and Curaçao have a wonderful little filly," she said quietly. "How old is she again?"

"She turned four a few months ago," Shroud replied, not looking at Fluttershy but at Jellybean, stroking her daughter's mane with her hoof.

"She's only four? Wow, she's so smart for her age, figuring out those puzzles so quickly like that."

"Curie and I agreed that since we can't give our filly a proper education like the kids out in the city, we were gonna do our best to teach her ourselves." Shroud tilted her head to gestured towards the other youngsters in the room. "No offense to Velvet and Pedigree, 'cause I think what they're doing for these kids is perfect for them. But it's not the same for a pony without their abilities."

Fluttershy glanced over at the gaggle of kids that were hanging around Hourglass, as some of them were showing off their "superpowers" to the young mare. One pegasus filly, Double Trouble, was showing off that she could make a perfect copy of herself; a unicorn colt, Black Bolt, showed off that he could generate and control electricity; an earth pony filly, Plum Crisp, showed off that she could turn invisible.

"No, I imagine it isn't," she said with a tilt of her head. "Not to mention that she'd be the only pony in the class at that age."

Shroud nodded. "Exactly. And Curie and I are results-focused hard workers, so we do everything that we can to help our daughter learn. We don't push her, of course; she's not old enough for anything beyond simple numbers and words and concepts. But that doesn't mean we can't try to make sure everything's educational and enlightening to her."

"Well then, I'm sure she's going to grow up to be one smart cookie," Fluttershy giggled.

Her attention was then drawn to the datapad, as it had frozen the game that Jellybean was playing to show some sort of alert notification on screen which read: "Breaking News: Giant Monster Attacks City!"

"Mommy, what's this?" asked Jellybean, pointing at the note.

Shroud lifted the datapad up and out of her daughter's grip. "Let me see that, sweetie. Mommy'll give it back when she's done, okay?"

Shroud then tapped on the notifications, which switched the image on the screen to some sort of news report; Fluttershy recognized the style from her last trip to this city seven years ago, only this one was more hectic.

There was a reporter, an earth pony, in the field somewhere in the city, in the Outer District on the city's west side according to the text on the bottom of the screen. He was clearly just barely keeping calm, though Fluttershy didn't need to hear his voice to tell—the device was muted anyway. No, she could tell just by the look in his eyes that he was on the brink of a panic attack. She could sympathize.

Whoever was operating the camera then swiveled the camera up to look at something else, and Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock.

There was indeed a giant creature attacking the city, a bird whose body looked like it was made out of pure fire and lava. It was the little details that stood out, though; it wasn't a giant hawk or an eagle, nor was it a buzzard or a falcon, nor was it an osprey or a vulture. The crest on its head and the particular shape of its wings and tail were all Fluttershy needed to tell what it was:

"Is that a… giant phoenix?" she muttered, watching as the aforementioned giant phoenix screeched into the air.

"I don't know what that is, so… maybe?" Shroud muttered back; Fluttershy chastised herself for forgetting that northern ponies here like Shroud didn't know much about animals.

The attack didn't seem to be happening too close to any of the Mid Districts, as could be told by the clear sight of the gigantic wall that bordered the city and supposedly kept big creatures like this out. Fluttershy had heard that there were big guns on the wall that would chase off things like Gargantuans before, and she wondered for a moment why they weren't doing anything now.

Then the camera shifted to show that all of the nearby guns had been utterly melted and destroyed, and that large pieces of the wall had even been cracked and broken. The phoenix was even perched on what was left of one of the cannons.

The outer city, near where the attack was occuring, was not composed of many tall buildings—the tallest was maybe three stories at best. It was, from what Fluttershy had heard about it, a slum in the best of terms. The way it looked now, though, made it look more like the site of some horrible disaster, no, disasters, plural.

A hurricane had swept through the area and ripped homes apart like nothing; a wildfire had spread through and burned whatever had still been standing; a sandstorm had kicked up and filled the air with clouds of ashy dust. Ponies were fleeing through the streets in a desperate attempt to get away from the worst of it.

Then, the camera pony caught sight of one of those NPAF warships in the distance firing its guns at the giant phoenix. They didn't seem to have any effect whatsoever except to temporarily draw the bird's attention away, whereupon it opened its beak and fired a gout of what looked like liquid flame right at the cruiser.

The cruiser took a direct hit and drifted slightly to the side, but was still able to fire at the phoenix; was it trying to lure the bird away? If it was, it wasn't working, and all it did was draw more fire from its target, and a second gout of fire was enough to send the cruiser into a dive; it crashed on the other side of the wall, thankfully, and not into it.

But as Fluttershy watched the phoenix turn around and move towards the camera now rather than away, Fluttershy could see the expression in its eyes. The phoenix was enraged, yes, and fiercely so, but it was also in pain. Not physical pain, because if anything that cruiser's attack had done literally nothing to it. No, there was emotional anguish in that phoenix's eyes; this destruction wasn't normal behavior.

Fluttershy immediately stood up. "I have to go."

Shroud seemed just as shocked as Fluttershy was that she'd just done that. "You have to go? Go where?"

"That bird, that phoenix, there's something wrong with it. I don't know what it is, but something is making it do this. I have to help it."

Shroud blinked. "Help it? It's destroying the city."

"Because something is wrong with it. If I can help it, if I can figure out what's wrong, then maybe I can stop it from destroying everything." Fluttershy nodded firmly. "I have to do this. I'm the only pony who can. Can you help me get out of here? I, um… I don't know where the tower's exits are," she added with a nervous grin.

Shroud paused and stared for a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about, but you sound like Curie does when she gets real adamant about something." She gestured over towards the window. "We never actually open any of the windows in the tower, but they do open. Little latch at the bottom."

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

She headed over to the window and found the latch, which wasn't actually that hard to open at all. The window popped open, and Fluttershy slid out when it was just wide enough to let her through, then closed the window behind her. She instantly understood why they kept the windows closed: while it was faint, she could smell that atrocious "smog" again for the first time in years.

Her immediate thought was to just fly as fast as she could towards where the phoenix was—she looked west and could see the barest hints of the fires from here—but she knew that she'd take too long to make a big difference; the city was supposedly big enough that even at her best, she'd take nearly an hour to get there, if not longer.

But she knew somepony fast enough to get her there in no time.

"Rainbow! Rainbow!" she called as she flew towards the top of the tower; she could see her pegasus friends doing a lazy circle higher up.

"'Sup Shy. What're you doing out here?" Rainbow asked, zipping over from her patrol route. "I thought you were staying with the kids?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Nevermind that now. Something's happened and I need your help to fix it."

"You need… my help? To fix what?"

"I was watching Jellybean play a game on her datapad, and then a news report came up saying there's a giant phoenix attacking the city!"

"A giant what?" asked Havoc, who flew over to join the conversation.

"A phoenix, a sort of magical species of bird that's associated with fire. It's different from the ones in our world, but I'd recognize the shape of one anywhere."

"And you say it's attacking the city? Where?"

Fluttershy pointed off towards the west, where from this high up the fires were even easier to see, though the smog wasn't making it easy. "Over there. The reporter was in the Outer District near the wall."

"So that's not just another fire?" asked Gray, also flying over to join the conversation. "You're sure that something's actually attacking the city? 'Cause we were thinking it was the cultists trying to distract us or something."

"It's very real, I saw it on the news and everything. It's destroying the wall, it's destroying the city, it even destroyed one of the warships that tried to draw it away. It wasn't a trick or a hoax. This is happening right now, and I need to get over there."

The other three pegasi looked at each other for a moment, then as one asked, "Why?"

"Because there's something wrong with it; it's lashing out in pain. It's not attacking the city because it wants to, and I think that if I can figure out what's wrong and calm it down. I'm the only one who can."

Rainbow crossed her hooves over her chest and nodded. "Right, gotcha. So you just need a ride? Sure, I can get you there in a couple of minutes, easy."

"Whoa whoa whoa, you're not just gonna go out there by yourselves, are you?" Havoc asked, holding her hooves up. "'Cause if this thing's attacking the city and it's associated with fire, then you're gonna need me to help you, 'cause I don't see how you're gonna do anything otherwise unless you're fireproof all of a sudden."

Fluttershy blinked; she hadn't expected the offer. "Oh. Well, thank you Havoc. If you want to help, then I'd be glad to have you along."

"I figure Dash and I can also run damage control or something. Put out the fires that this thing's starting and stuff, y'know?"

"Yeah, I can whip up some rainclouds easy peasy," Rainbow agreed. "And if you somepony to keep that thing distracted, I'm your mare."

Gray grunted. "I'm coming too. I don't like the sound of this at all, and I'm not letting my sister, my best friend, and my…" She shared a look with Rainbow briefly, tilting her head. "And my original go off on some dangerous mission by themselves. What kind of big sister, best friend, and clone would I be?"

"You're my little sister, Gray," Havoc quipped.

"Semantics, shortstack."

"Won't that leave the tower vulnerable if the cultists try to attack while we're gone?" Rainbow asked.

Gray shrugged. "Maybe, but we can't just let this phoenix thing burn down the city, and we can't let Shy go off by herself either."

Havoc clapped Rainbow on the back. "No worries, Dash, we'll take care of this real quick then we'll get back here to thump any jerkoffs that we can find. Hopefully the others leave some for us, yeah?"

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Rainbow swung around behind Fluttershy and grabbed a tight hold of her. "Clench up, buttercup, 'cause we're goin' supersonic."

Fluttershy gulped. "O-okay—"

And off they went.

*****

Curaçao waited patiently on the topmost floor of Pandora Tower, looking out one of the huge windows that covered an entire wall. All of the windows on this floor were like this, actually, she just chose this specific one to stand by and gaze out of. From here, she could have the best possible vantage point of the goings-on around the tower; only the roof provided a better angle, but she preferred it in here.

The top floor had been designed as a sort of zen garden, a calming room that her father apparently frequented in years long past when he was in a particular state of stress. She could understand why; the garden had a lovely, relaxing atmosphere.

The entire floor, except for a walkway around the edge and a walkway down the center, was made of fine, white sand—it wasn't imported, either, but made from rocks found in the Wasteland that were magically cleansed of their impurities and then carefully flash-eroded with clean water.

Other rocks were strewn about the sand in specific locations to influence the room's aura, some of which had been carved into specific shapes, and one of which had been carved into a large fountain which constantly cycled clean, potable water. Not that anypony was meant to drink it, of course, but they could.

Curaçao had never really bought into the whole zen concept before, but she had to admit, this was rather nice.

Then, she spotted something odd out of the corner of her eye: was that Fluttershy flying up to meet the other pegasi on their team? What was she doing out of the tower? The group was engaged in a conversation, and there was some pointing off towards the west; Curaçao could see the barest hint of what looked like fire in that direction, but she'd assumed that it was an attempt at a distraction by the cultists to draw some of them away.

If it was a distraction, it worked; all four pegasi flew off towards the edge of the city, with Rainbow grabbing hold of Fluttershy, Havoc flying on her own just behind them, and Gray bringing up the rear.

Rainbow's Sonic Rainboom was far enough away that it didn't cause any damage to the tower and thus shouldn't to any buildings below her. Havoc went supersonic shortly after—what was her version called again?

And Gray… just flew as fast as she could. Which was actually pretty fast, just not supersonic; Curaçao didn't know the logistics for how Gray used her gravity powers to turn a horizontal flight into a vertical dive—that was how Gray described it—but it seemed to work well enough.

"Hey sis," came Gray's voice through their telepathic bond. "Just a heads up, the girls and I are heading out to the west edge of the city. Fluttershy saw something on the news about a giant phoenix attacking the area and she's gonna try to stop it from destroying everything. Just thought you should know.'

Curaçao blinked. "A giant… what?" she replied.

"I dunno, Shy said it's like a bird made of fire, or something like that, I didn't really ask too many questions. Point is, we're heading out to deal with it and we'll be back when we're done."

"Ah… oui. Be careful."

"Will do. You guys stay safe too."

"Was that a Rainboom I just heard?" Applejack asked, coming up behind Curaçao; she and Sir Zircon had chosen to take this floor as their station, as it had plenty of naturally-formed earthy materials for Applejack to make use of.

"Oui," Curaçao replied. "They're heading towards the fires out on the western edge of the city. Fluttershy said something about a giant 'phoenix' on a news report. Merde. I should have kept my datapad on me. I would like to see what she's talking about."

"A giant phoenix, huh? Shucks, tonight's gettin' off to a weird start," Applejack snorted. "But hey, if somethin' like that's causin' trouble, I know Fluttershy'll handle it right quick." She clapped Curaçao on the back. "Let's just worry 'bout what's goin' on here, y'hear?"

Curaçao nodded. "Oui." She paused for a moment as a funny thought struck her. "You know… I think that this is the longest conversation that you and I have ever shared together as ourselves? Strange, isn't it? Considering that I was cloned from you and all."

Applejack scratched her head. "Yeah, but I mean, we ain't never really had much chance at a conversation before, 'cept when y'all were hidin' out as ol' Gumshoe. So it's weird, sure, but it ain't that weird."

"Hmm. True. Still—"

The room's PA system interrupted her. "Attention. Intruder Alert Detected in Pandora Tower. Attention. Intruder Alert Detected in Pandora Tower. Attention—"

"Quoi? An intruder alert?" Curaçao muttered to herself.

"Welp, looks like it's time ta get started, I guess," Applejack grunted.

"Oui, but something is wrong if we're getting an alert so soon. I have not received any reports from the perimeter guards of any hostile sightings." Curaçao tapped her to indicate to Applejack that she had a communicator. "The cultists would have needed to go through them first."

"Maybe they snuck by 'em?"

"Unlikely, as they would have to be a large group if they expected to have any chance of defeating us and stopping Pandemonia. That means that… hmm. They must be coming in from below the tower. Unfortunate, as that means they are at full strength."

Applejack tilted her head. "What? How?"

"I do not know, but that is the only logical conclusion as it's the only potential ingress point; we would have seen them coming from above." Curaçao shook her head. "Luckily this does not change our plans much as they will still need to climb the stairs to reach us up here, and that will take some time."

"Right on, then we'll be ready 'n' waitin' for 'em."

Curaçao communicated telepathically with Insipid and Velvet next. "Sisters, the enemy has breached the tower from underneath the ground floor. They will take some time to reach us here, but they are making their move. Be ready."

"Yup! I'm all set and ready to go here, sis," Insipid responded. "Pinkie and I are gonna kick some bad guy butt."

"Curie, you're sure that these guys can't get into any other floors of the tower, right?" asked Velvet.

Curaçao paused. "Considering that they knew how to dig under the tower without us noticing, I would not put it past them to have other knowledge of the tower's layout. While they are not publicly available, the construction blueprints can be accessed by Taskmaster Concrete and anypony else who he would provide that access to."

"Right, so… look, I know we're supposed to be defending the top floors, but I'm gonna head downstairs to make sure the kids are okay. I have a bad feeling about this."

"D'accord, Velvet, that is sensible. Just remember you'll have to take the stairs down. And if you're going down there, check in on Shroud and Jellybean, would you?"

"Roger that, sis."

Curaçao then pressed her hoof to her ear. "Captain Iron Sights, this is Spymaster Curaçao. The enemy is coming in from underneath the tower. I need the perimeter guard to converge on the lower floors."

The captain of the tower's security grunted back in her ear: "Roger that ma'am."

Curaçao paused a moment in thought, then turned to Applejack. "I will leave you two here to defend this floor. I have someplace else that I need to be."

Applejack tilted her head. "Huh? Where would you— oh! You're probably gonna head down an' check on yer wife 'n' kid, ain'tcha?"

"Non, Velvet is doing that for me. I have something else that needs attending to. Au revoir for now."

As Curaçao headed towards the stairs, Applejack scratched her head and replied, "Uh… yeah, sure. Me 'n' Mister Thou o'er here got this floor covered. Good luck wit' whatever you're doin'."

"Oui. You as well."

Curaçao then shifted her skin and coat so that they were invisible before making her way out of the room and towards the stairs. She'd originally had no intention of moving from this position, but she was suddenly overcome with a powerful hunch that her presence would be needed elsewhere.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Revenge

Dawn watched as Twilight exerted a little bit more power into her horn so that her barrier would knock away all of the rock, dust, and ash that had fallen on top of it. "Everypony okay?" she asked, though it was unnecessary as everypony had stayed under the barrier with her; knowing Twilight, it was just a force of habit.

"Just fine, Twilight, thanks," Winter replied, wiping her nose. "Just a little dusty, eh?"

Dawn didn't reply; she just locked her eyes back on Nihila who hadn't so much as moved from where she'd seen her last, nor had she even made any attempt to capitalize on the situation and attack while they were distracted.

She wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened; what in the world had Nihila just unleashed? Whatever it was, it had cleared out all of the smoke in the chamber, and the egg-shaped rock in the middle of the room had been completely shattered. Most of the tunnel behind her and her friends had also been torn open, giving a clear view of the heart of the volcano and the magma reservoir below.

"Now, as for you three…" Nihila said, using her horn to clear a path through the rocky rubble so that the ground between her and the other mares was flat and empty.

"What was that?" Twilight demanded, glaring at Nihila. "What did you just do?"

"I already told you: I unleashed the Calamity upon your pitiful little fleets. And when she is done with them, she will move north towards New Pandemonium. She will burn that miserable city to the ground until there is nothing left but fire and ash. Then she will do the same with Hope's Point, and soon after, the south.

"Your plan to deactivate the southern Beacon will of course be your downfall," Nihila continued with a mocking tone. "Without it to prevent me from influencing the Calamity as she rampages across the south, I cannot be stopped, not by Pandemonia, not by that treacherous worm who stole power that wasn't his to take, and not even by Harmonia. This world will burn; I will have my revenge."

"Not if we stop you here, you won't." Twilight lit up her horn a little brighter; her barrier spell intensified. She then turned to Dawn and gave her a firm look. "You focus on attacking her, and I'll focus on protecting us. Together, we can win."

"Agreed," Dawn said with a nod, igniting her horn and preparing to fire, this time with a much stronger blast. Her last three blasts had been minimal in power, so if Nihila was strong enough to defend herself while Dawn was being conservative, then Dawn knew she had to be more liberal with her magic.

Nihila tilted her head, her horn glowing white hot. "Hmm. As amusing as it would be to crush you three here and now, I find it more amusing that you seem to think I would allow you to unite together against me. Not that it would help, but I much prefer to divide and conquer."

Dawn felt a sharp rumble under her hooves, harsh enough that she lost her balance, as did Winter and Twilight.

Nihila then took another step forward and looked right at Twilight. "This volcano is erupting, Twilight Sparkle, with all of us inside. I will survive, of course, and you might as well, but I doubt that your comrades will, nor will the kirins that are not too far away. Whatever shall you do?" Dawn could practically hear the smug grin on her face, if she had a damnable mouth to grin with.

Twilight turned back towards the magma reservoir, as did Dawn and Winter; they could see the light of the liquid magma rising up. "Oh no…" Twilight muttered.

Winter turned to Dawn. "We have to get out of here. Now."

"And we have to find those kirins before they're overwhelmed," Twilight added.

"No," Dawn snorted, gesturing towards the reservoir. "Twilight, you can stymie the volcano's eruption, and perhaps with Winter's assistance even reverse it. I will engage Nihila in combat alone until you have completed your task."

"What? Dawn, I can't just—"

"We have no time to quibble over the issue. If we evacuate now, we will forfeit our opportunity to defeat her, and we cannot possibly save all of those kirin ourselves given our resources. This is our only favorable circumstance, as unfavorable as it might seem."

Dawn lit up her horn to cover herself in a small, personal barrier that conformed to her body and would protect her from the heat, and only the heat, as she couldn't use a proper barrier spell and attack at the same time. She was fully prepared to fight Nihila alone, and had been for a long time now; this was just the last step in the process.

"Go," she said to Twilight.

Twilight paused. "But—"

"Go!"

Twilight hesitated, then nodded, and she and Winter headed the now-shorter distance up the tunnel to the edge of the path. Twilight maintained her barrier to keep her and Winter safe from the heat, but her horn was glowing brighter now than Dawn had ever seen it; the rumbling under Dawn's hooves slowed considerably and now was hardly even noticeable.

Dawn, now alone with Nihila—though Twilight and Winter were near enough that she could see them clearly—rolled her shoulders and readied herself. Nihila had deflected her blasts earlier with seemingly minimal effort, but unbeknownst to Nihila, those blasts had only used a tiny fraction of her strength; she was ready to unleash everything she had now, and she preferred it this way. Just her, her opponent, and nopony in the way to get hurt.

"I would admire your courage if it were not so pathetic," Nihila gloated. "Do you truly believe that you can withstand me alone, little worm? You are nothing more than an inferior copy of a creature far greater than yourself. Not to mention that I made you. I can just as easily unmake you."

"You did not 'make' me. My father made me," Dawn snarled, digging her hooves in the dirt. "The source of my flesh is irrelevant; the source of my power is irrelevant. My father provided me with purpose, inspiration, and love, not you. His example molded me into who I am today, and it is by his example that I will finish his crusade against you."

Nihila tilted her head. "Then when you see your father in the Dreaming after I have ended your pathetic existence, you can tell him that you died fighting for his inevitably meaningless cause."

Dawn waited a few tense seconds, then raised a deflective barrier when Nihila launched a blast of magic at her. The impact was enough that, though the barrier withstood it, it knocked Dawn off her hooves. She braced herself more effectively against the next blast, and the next; these ones caused her some discomfort, but her barrier held against them.

She saw an opportunity between Nihila's attacks to drop her barrier and launch a blast of magic of her own, this one infused with much more power than her earlier attempts. Nihila didn't dodge this one, or deflect it away, or even evaporate it into nothing, though she clearly tried to do the latter.

But there was enough force in the shot that it still went through and made contact with Nihila's chest, knocking the alien alicorn off her hooves and back into what was left of the egg-shaped rock.

Dawn did not relent, firing another blast into Nihila, and another. Each one impacted, and each one knocked Nihila back with enough force that when the third blast hit and slammed Nihila into the rear wall of the cavern, it did so with the explosive force of a missile, sending rock, dust, and ash everywhere. The chamber's ceiling shook; Dawn didn't care. If the cavern collapsed, so be it.

She barely raised her barrier back up again when Nihila returned fire through the billowing dust and ash, though this one was much stronger than the blasts Dawn had been dealing with before; again, the blast sent a wave of pain through her horn as the barrier absorbed the force of the impact.

Nihila spread her wings and took flight—the chamber was tall enough that she could do so—then fired another blast down at Dawn's barrier. Again, she absorbed the impact and grunted in pain, but then she dropped her barrier and fired another blast at her opponent.

This one Nihila deflected, sending it careening into the ceiling just behind her and showering the chamber with broken rock. Dawn reacted quickly, latching onto as many chunks of rock as she could and flinging them at Nihila from behind.

The rocks surprised Nihila and knocked the alicorn about, but if they did any damage, Dawn couldn't tell; Nihila didn't seem to bleed or bruise, and if she did, Dawn couldn't see it against her unnaturally black coat.

While Nihila was distracted, however, Dawn took the opportunity to move to a better position to fire another blast, this one impacting Nihila squarely in the side and slamming her into the ceiling. She then fired another blast, and another, and another; the chamber was being torn apart by the sheer explosive power of each and every burst.

Then Dawn raised her barrier again and waited. And waited. But Nihila did not counterattack. Instead, the alicorn just drifted slowly out of the hole in the ceiling that she'd been lodged into, looking none the worse for wear.

"I will commend you on your efforts, failed spawn," she laughed, causing Dawn a great deal of discomfort in her ears. "You are still an inferior copy of Twilight Sparkle, of course, but you should feel proud that you managed to impress me. Not enough for me to spare your miserable life, but enough that I have allowed you to live this long just to see how far you could reach."

"I have yet to even utilize my full potential," Dawn replied through clenched teeth. "We shall see who impresses—"

"No, I think not. I grow tired of this distraction."

Dawn enhanced her barrier just as Nihila fired another blast of magic at her, but this one was different. Not just more powerful—the pain was so much that Dawn barely managed to keep her focus on the shield—but more… alien.

It didn't pierce the shield or anything of the sort, but as the magical blast enveloped the bubble, Dawn could hear screaming surrounding her. Shrill, terrified screaming that echoed endlessly inside the bubble, louder and louder until it made Dawn's ears ache and eventually bleed.

This was enough to break her concentration on the barrier, but Nihila didn't follow up with another blast. Instead, she grabbed Dawn with telekinetic magic, lifted her off the floor, and whipped her across the room so fast that Dawn didn't even realize it had happened until her back impacted a wall.

From that point on, everything was pain. Dawn attempted to resist Nihila's magic, to guard against it with her own, but she just didn't have the time she needed to build up enough energy to overcome it.

Nihila threw her into the wall, down to the floor, up against the ceiling, punctuating each with a small blast of explosive magic that Dawn could barely defend herself against and which left her disoriented and vulnerable to another grab and toss.

In less than a minute, Nihila broke Dawn down to nothing. The only reprieve Dawn received at all was when Nihila simply stopped tossing her around, but Dawn was in such agonizing pain at that point that it didn't matter. Bloodied and beaten, Dawn couldn't even summon the strength to stand on her own four hooves; she could barely even feel all four hooves.

"Look at yourself now, you worthless wretch," Nihila laughed. "You thought yourself to be a paragon of power, a worthy opponent for a goddess, but you cannot even begin to comprehend what I am. I am no mere deity, fool. I am Nihila, and I am Darkness incarnate, the Void made manifest. You are beneath me, a mere ant barely worthy of being squashed beneath my hooves."

Nihila ignited her horn and tore out a huge chunk of the wall; the entire cavern rumbled as it started to fall apart. Dawn watched, barely able to breathe, and the giant rock levitated ten or so feet above her. She ignited her horn to raise a protective barrier, but she wasn't confident at all that it would save her.

Father… I tried.

As the rock came crashing down towards her, the last thing Dawn saw was Winter Glow standing over her, and then everything went black.

~~~~

Seconds Earlier…

Twilight strained as hard as she could to keep the volcanic eruption at bay, which was proving exceptionally difficult. This volcano was the largest in the region, the largest she had ever seen before, and so there was a lot of liquid magma to keep under control. Luckily she had Winter at her side to help keep both of them cool against the sheer heat so that Twilight could focus entirely on the eruption; she couldn't imagine not having Winter with her all the way.

Focusing on that, however, was not particularly easy. She could hear the fighting behind her, though she couldn't see it, and she desperately wanted to turn around and make sure that Dawn was okay. Twilight had felt the kind of power Nihila could bring to bear before, not just seven years ago when she was in Pandemonia's weakened physical form, but only a month ago when she had wrestled control of the viewing spell from her.

But if Dawn was as only powerful as Twilight had been before becoming an alicorn herself—or even slightly more powerful—it was likely not going to be enough. Twilight needed to get this eruption under control so that she could help.

A small click to her side distracted her momentarily, and drew her attention to Winter, who had just snapped her Timekeeper shut. "Winter? What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

Winter paused for a moment, then let out a breath and gave Twilight a small smile. "Nothing. Everything's gonna be alright, Twilight. I promise."

"Huh? What're you—"

Then Winter ran off back towards the battle, her horn glowing bright.

"Winter! Where are you going?!" Twilight called, turning fully towards the fighting.

Her eyes widened in shock. Dawn was on the floor, horribly wounded and barely moving, a flickering barrier all that stood between herself and a humongous rock that Nihla was lifting over her. Winter ran right at Dawn with all the speed and confidence of somepony who knew what they were doing, stopping over their fallen comrade and standing firm.

And just as Winter arrived, the rock came crashing down on both of them, tearing through the earth and burying them both under tons of rock, dirt, dust, and ash.

The volcanic eruption didn't matter to Twilight any more. She just ran towards where her Winter and Dawn had just been, leaving the tunnel behind her without a second thought. "Winter! Dawn!" she called out, looking through the rocky debris for any sign of them. "Where are you?! Can you hear me?!"

If they could, they didn't answer.

"Winter! Dawn! Please, answer me!" she called again. When again she received no reply, she felt a surge of nausea sweep through her gut, and a burning sensation filled her heart; her eyes began to water. "No… this can't be happening…"

"You waste your breath on the dead, Twilight Sparkle," Nihila said, a hint of a smirk in her tone. "Is it not the natural order of things for only the strong to survive, after all? We both know that they were weak and had no business being here in the first place. So really… I suppose their deaths are your fault."

Then, something inside Twilight just… snapped.

~~~~~

Nihila watched Twilight Sparkle's anguish and torment with no small amount of mirth. With the wasted spawn that called herself a daughter of that miserable traitor out of the way, as well as the delightfully surprising senseless sacrifice by the accursed Chronomancer, nothing would stand in her way of taking what was rightfully hers at long last.

"You waste your breath on the dead, Twilight Sparkle," she said. "Is it not the natural order of things for only the strong to survive, after all? We both know that they were weak and had no business being here in the first place. So really… I suppose their deaths are your fault."

She then lit up her horn and prepared for the next stage of her plan, which required her to beat Twilight Sparkle into submission as well so that she could usurp control of her body and mind—of her power—as she'd done with Pandemonia. The deaths of her friends would make that easier; her spirit would be weakened, and—

Then Twilight Sparkle let out an anguished scream, and with it came such a surge of pure power that Nihila found herself tense up out of instinct. The entire cavern shook with tremendous pain as the walls and ceiling crumbled apart in particles of dust; the volcano's eruption ceased completely, magma retreating back down under the earth out of fear and fear alone.

Nihila marveled at Twilight Sparkle's sudden change. Her mane and tail had grown tremendously long and billowed behind her like a glorious cape, tinged with the soft glow of twilight and dotted with stars. Lightning crackled around her form in ribbons. The tears in her eyes flowed not down her face but up into the air, but these were no longer tears of mere grief; these were of rage.

And oh, the power that Nihila could feel radiating off of Twilight Sparkle now. She wasn't as powerful as Pandemonia or Harmonia, she wasn't as powerful as the Mother of Calamity, she wasn't even as powerful as Nihila herself.

She was beyond all of them; she was magical might made flesh, potential incarnate, the most powerful creature that Nihila had ever encountered in eons of devouring world after world after world.

She was everything that Nihila had ever wanted and more.

"I see… so there was untapped potential within you," Nihila said blissfully. "With this much power, you could destroy an entire world by yourself if you wanted to. And yet it goes to waste—"

Twilight Sparkle's horn ignited; the blast came so fast that Nihila couldn't even react.

She felt her body crash through layers and layers of rock until she was suddenly outside the volcano, where she was finally able to recover and take flight. Her wings were really just for show; she didn't need them to fly, capable of hovering in the air on her power alone.

She looked on in awe at the results of the attack. The entire side of the volcano was gone.

Incredible. So much raw power.

Twilight Sparkle then just appeared about five feet in front of her without so much as a sound; the teleportation had been so perfect that it hadn't even generated light.

Her horn did, though, especially when it blasted Nihila again, this time sending her spiraling down towards the side of the next volcano over to the east, where she impacted and pierced several feet inside before coming to a stop.

Nihila couldn't feel actual pain, not in the way mortal creatures did, but she could feel something akin to it as her energy faltered. It was an annoyance, to say the least, but not completely insurmountable, just surprising.

She shook off the rock and dust that had covered her and was about to blow her way out of the mountainside, when she spotted a light off in the distance. It impacted just as she saw it, filling her world with white hot agony.

When the annoyance and the light were gone, she was barely afloat in the air above what was left of the volcano.

Twilight Sparkle appeared suddenly in front of her again, but this time Nihila was ready, and fired her own blast at her opponent. Twilight Sparkle's horn flashed for a brief instant; Nihila's blast deflected straight up into the air, exploding like a bomb.

The counterattack was just as swift; another flash of Twilight Sparkle's horn sent Nihila crashing down into a river of lava far below. The lava had no effect on Nihila, of course, but the blast was, again, incredibly draining, and maybe a little something more. What was this sensation flowing through her? It was unpleasant.

No, this will not do. She is more powerful than I thought,Nihila thought to herself as she floated under the lava flow. I need more power to overcome her. Hmm… the Beacon will suffice. A risk worth taking.

Nihila lit up her horn again as she floated up and out of the lava, concentrating her energy on the northern Beacon, which still flowed with Pandemonia's power, yes, but also with her own. This fact had been the only thing preventing that treacherous snake from deactivating the Beacon entirely himself, and now its boon would be twofold.

In the skies above the entire northern continent, the orange glow of the Beacon's light retreated towards the Beacon itself. It only took a few moments, but soon the beam of energy radiating from the Beacon now flowed in a continuous stream up and into the sky, curving west towards the Redblade Mountains.

Just as Twilight Sparkle found Nihila and launched another attack, the Beacon's light arrived and filled Nihila with the surge of energy she needed to deflect the blast. Twilight Sparkle was surprised, but undeterred, and attacked again, but now, Nihila was able to defend herself. It took some effort, but Nihila would rather acknowledge that they were on even terms now than otherwise.

"Your advantage was short-lived," Nihila laughed. "I hope that you enjoyed it while it lasted. With the Beacon's might at my back, my power is doubled. Your defeat is nigh."

"Give yourself all the power you want, Nihila," Twilight Sparkle replied with a tranquil rage. "I'll destroy you all the same."

*****

Rarity had to admit, though her role in the plan seemed rather simple enough, it was hardly easy. Pandemonia stood before her in all her splendor, horn glowing with purple power and doing… something to the Beacon to deactivate it without any indication of how well the process was going. Rarity, in the meantime, had her own horn alight to empower Pandemonia—empowering a goddess seemed such an odd thing to say—and she felt herself starting to get a little woozy.

Well, there was one thing that was indicating a change in the Beacon, technically: the orange glow was starting to fill with little specks of purple, though not at a rate that seemed to mean anything. And Pandemonia was so totally locked into her task that she might as well have been a statue; she didn't move apart from the wind in her mane, and she certainly didn't speak.

Zyra, meanwhile, stood dutifully by Rarity's side, her longsword now held in her tail rather than strapped to her back. The runic markings along the blade carried a magical effect that allowed the sword to be wielded by the zebras' tails—hence why their warriors, like Zyra and Zircon, had such long tails—and also made it feel lighter to the wielder while still maintaining its actual weight. It was all very fascinating; Twilight knew more than Rarity did about it, though.

"Anything happened out there, Zyra?" Rarity asked, keeping her attention on her magic but still able to divert it to a conversation. "I thought I heard a noise earlier. Two loud booms? We're not under attack, are we?"

"I heard it too, and then there were two rings of light off in the west," Zyra replied, looking off in that direction. "One rainbow-colored, the other flame-colored."

"Rainbow-colored… a Sonic Rainboom? Hmm. What's Rainbow Dash up to, I wonder? She must have brought Havoc along with her; the other ring sounds like what Havoc's own sonic boom is supposed to resemble."

Zyra grunted and nodded. "It's very strange, but I can see lights off in the distance in that direction, like distant flames. Perhaps our enemies are attempting to lure away our allies by attacking the city elsewhere? Never fear, My Lady, I will remain by your side no matter the circumstances."

"I don't doubt it," Rarity tittered.

Suddenly, Pandemonia groaned in discomfort and staggered off-balance briefly. As she did so, Rarity noticed first that the Beacon's light grew more intensely orange; second, she noticed that the glow in the sky seemed to be drawing itself towards the Beacon rather than permeating away from it.

"Pandemonia, is everything alright?" Rarity asked. "Is the deactivation working? Is this supposed to happen?"

"No, Rarity, this very much not supposed to happen," Pandemonia huffed, annoyed not with Rarity—she hoped—but whatever the situation was. "Nihila is doing something to the Beacon. I can still deactivate it, but… there's something wrong. I know not what her intentions are—"

Then, they all watched as the Beacon's light curved through the air in an arc and impacted somewhere far beyond the horizon to the southwest.

"Where is the light going?" Zyra asked.

"That's in the direction of the Redblade Mountains…" Rarity muttered, her heart catching in her throat. "That's where Twilight's team went. Oh dear, I hope they're alright."

Pandemonia groaned again. "Something's… something's coming. I can feel a disturbance in the Beacon's energies. Nihila is aware of what I am doing, but now she is trying to stop me because she needs the Darkness stored within. Be ready, friends. I know not what terrors she might yet have in store for us."

Zyra gave her sword a little flourish and settled into a ready stance. "Whatever Nihila sends our way, I am ready to face it."

"And I as well," Rarity said with a firm nod. "Once we finish this, then Nihila is finished. Everyone is depending on us."

They waited. And waited. And waited.

Then, a terrible noise issued forth from the Beacon, the sound of thousands of screams of terror and pain and anguish all together. It was so loud that Rarity had to cover her ears; she could already feel her whole head ringing just from the short exposure she had to it. There were just bare hints of words in some of the screams that Rarity could make out:

Help.

Help me.

Please.

Make it stop.

It hurts.

Please help.

Save me.

They all sounded like different voices. Some were masculine, others feminine; some young, some old. What they all had in common was this otherworldliness to them, like they weren't quite real, or like something out of a nightmare.

Accompanying the sound were numerous black shadows streaming out of the Beacon's light. At first, they seemed harmless aside from the chilling screaming, but then one of them swooped towards Pandemonia and, upon impact with her, caused the alicorn goddess to howl in pain. The attack didn't leave any physical signs of injury, but it seemed to have hurt all the same.

Then another such shadow swooped towards Pandemonia.

"Begone, phantasm!" Zyra shouted. She stepped in and swung her blade straight through it; the shadow evaporated in a burst of light. "By the gods, what sorcery is this? The souls of the dead reside in the Dreaming, but I thought Nihila no longer had access to it?"

"We can worry about how later, dear," Rarity grunted as she used her magic to keep Pandemonia at full strength; the attack had disrupted her focus. "Just keep these 'phantasms' away from Pandemonia." She yelped as one of the things swept towards her, ducking just under it. "And away from me!"

"Of course, My Lady," Zyra said as her blade banished other of the shadows away. "None of these foul spirits shall— ah!" she yowled as one of them rushed into her back.

Rarity panicked; more of the shadows were streaming out of the light now. "Zyra! Are you alright?!"

Zyra grunted and rose back to her hooves, then nodded. "I am fine, My Lady. Don't worry about me." She leapt forward and cleaved through a spirit that had snuck up on Rarity. "Focus on your task. I will worry about the phantoms."

As Rarity watched more and more of the spirits screaming out of the Beacon, not just towards those on the roof, but out towards the rest of the city, she had a sudden wish that things could just go back to being simple and easy.

*****

Fluttershy took a moment to recover when she and Rainbow arrived not far from their destination. She'd never flown at supersonic speed before, obviously, as Rainbow had never carried her while doing so. It was disorienting, to say the least, and her whole body felt a little off-balance because of it. How Rainbow could do it so frequently without any adverse effects was baffling to her.

"Oh my goodness," she muttered, hooves over her mouth, as she looked out towards the west edge of the city.

There was virtually nothing left of this entire section of the Outer District, just a smoldering ruin of smoke, fire, and ash amidst the burnt remains of houses, apartments, and businesses. There was no telling how many ponies had managed to evacuate in time or how many had been injured or killed; Fluttershy couldn't see movement beneath all the smoke.

The phoenix itself wasn't far—you couldn't miss it—but luckily hadn't taken to the air yet. A creature that size could probably obliterate the entire Outer District by making a single lap around the city just by flying overhead. It was distracted by the guns on the wall. While they didn't seem to be hurting the giant avian much, if at all, they were annoying it enough to keep it on the ground while it was here.

Any collateral damage they caused would be far less than what that phoenix could do once it was airborne.

Havoc arrived right behind Fluttershy and Rainbow, just seconds later. She was about to say something, but then she saw the same sight that Rainbow and Fluttershy were seeing, and her eyes went wide. "Holy fuck. Guess it's definitely not a false alarm." She turned to Fluttershy. "What's the plan here? 'Cause that bird of yours looks pretty nasty."

Fluttershy shook herself out of her stupor. "I… I have to talk to it so that I can find out what's wrong. When I saw it on the news, I could see in its eyes that it was in a lot of emotional pain."

Havoc nodded. "Got it, you're gonna play phoenix therapist. I figure you've gotta get close enough to that thing to talk to it, so I'll stick with you in case it tries to get antsy with ya."

"I'll get to work putting out these fires," Rainbow said with a firm nod. "But I'll keep my eye on you guys if you need a distraction or something. Stay safe, alright?" She poked Havoc in the chest. "You hear me, shrimp? Stay safe, and keep Shy safe. If either one of you gets hurt, I'm gonna kick your tail, got it?"

"Psh, you wish you could kick my tail, dingus," Havoc retorted, hoofbumping Rainbow in the process.

"How're you going to put out the fires, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked. "There's not enough water around here to make a rain cloud with."

Rainbow glanced along the ruined stretch of the city, then pointed out a busted fire hydrant that was spewing water. "That'll work. Watch."

She swooped down and spiraled around the water spout, creating a twister to help her carry the water up into the air to make a cloud. It started off small, but after a few such trips Rainbow was able to stretch it out to be pretty big in very little time, a benefit of being able to move so quickly. A little love tap was all she needed to start the rain; Fluttershy could see steam and smoke rising from the flames immediately.

"I'll just keep building up on this sucker since I've got a good starting source," Rainbow said with a smirk. "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." She set her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "You go do your thing, okay? Just don't do anything risky."

Fluttershy took a breath and nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Rainbow, for coming with me."

She turned to Havoc and gestured towards the phoenix, and the two of them made their way in the direction of the destruction. Fluttershy used all of her willpower not to look at what the phoenix was doing to the city below it, which amounted to wanton destruction of lives and property and nothing more. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing ponies fleeing or calling for help; all she could do to help was to stop the source.

Once she and Havoc were within shouting distance of the phoenix, Fluttershy tried to get its attention, clearing her throat first; this all seemed so ridiculous from an outside perspective, but she had to try. "Um… ahem. Hey! Stop!" she called, waving her hoof at the giant bird. "You're hurting ponies! Stop! They didn't do anything to you!"

If it heard her, it didn't react.

She tried again. "Stop! Please, stop what you're doing! I know that you're hurting, and I want to help you! Please stop this!"

This seemed to get it's attention, as its head perked up and turned towards Fluttershy and Havoc. Its eyes still looked exactly like Fluttershy remembered from the news report: filled with anguish and sorrow as well as rage and hate. Fluttershy was terrified for that brief moment; those same eyes were now focused entirely on her.

She gulped. "That's right! I can tell that you're in pain, and I want to help! But in order for me to do that, I need you to stop—"

The phoenix opened its beak, and a gout of flame spewed forth.

"Look out!" Havoc yelled, flying so that she was in between Fluttershy and the flames.

Havoc held out her hooves and pushed the fire back, not physically, but with her powers. Fluttershy was very thankful that Havoc had come along; the heat from the fire, even from this far away, was intense enough that it hurt to be around and bright enough that it hurt to look at, and it had been aimed right at her!

The phoenix seemed legitimately surprised that Havoc had stopped its attack, but it tried again, and again Havoc just kept the fire at bay with her powers and now her body alone.

This seemed to only have one effect: making the phoenix angry. Because as soon as it realized that Havoc was immune to its flames, it turned itself completely towards the two pegasi and shifted itself as if getting ready to take flight.

"Uh-oh," Havoc muttered, slowly drifting back towards Fluttershy. "I think we'd better get moving."

The phoenix then spread its wings.

"Oh yeah, we're moving!"

Fluttershy agreed and, right along with Havoc, they started flying away, back towards the ruined sectors of the city; best to keep it from destroying areas it hadn't gotten to yet.

With a few loud, thunderous steps and a flap of its wings, the phoenix gave chase; the beat of its wings was so strong that it leveled an entire city block with the wind shear alone. When it was clear that it was not a slow flyer, Havoc grabbed Fluttershy without a second's hesitation and started flying faster.

And yet the phoenix still caught up long before they managed to make it back anywhere near Rainbow and her rain cloud. Fluttershy watched in terrified anticipation as the giant avian lifted up its talons in preparation to snatch its prey out of the air.

Only for it to suddenly look up just in time to see an entire two-story apartment building come flying right at it. The building slammed into the phoenix's head and completely caught it off guard, knocking it out of the air and onto the ground.

Fluttershy and Havoc slowed down and looked in the direction the building had come from to see Gray coming their way. "Sorry I'm late, girls, but I'm not that fast," she said nonchalantly.

"Shit, sis, did you just chuck a building at it?!" Havoc asked, awestruck.

Gray shrugged. "Meh. Found a ruined building, made sure nopony was in it, pulled some gravity shenanigans, boom. You know how I roll."

"Well yeah but… that was tight as shit! Remind me not to pick a fight with you if you can throw a fucking building at me."

"What's the plan here?" Gray asked, looking at Fluttershy. "Obviously whatever you were trying didn't work."

"It's not listening to me," Fluttershy sighed, shaking her head. "And as long as it's able to fly around and attack things with that fire breath, I don't think I'm going to get it to listen, either. I don't know what we're going to do…"

The three turned when they heard the phoenix stirring behind them.

"Well, we'd better figure it out quick, 'cause that building to the face didn't keep it down for long," Havoc said.

Fluttershy gulped. This was turning out to be a very bad evening.

Chapter Thirty: Resurgence

Brother Yellow Jacket was just one of the almost-thirty loyal servants of the Dark Lady that had entered from underneath Pandora Tower. He remembered seeing the tower from a distance for the first time as a young colt. He never thought he'd get a chance to ever actually visit the place, and now here he was, storming up a maintenance stairwell along with his comrades, heavily armored and armed to the teeth, ready to kill in the Dark Lady's name.

Long may She reign indeed.

He still didn't quite understand what the armor was made out of. Volcanic iron he understood, but the other material used in the alloy was unknown to him. He didn't question it, though; if it would protect him from some of the freakish powers the Traitors wielded, it would be to his benefit.

The weapons were easy; he'd been on the team that had been stealing them from the NPAF stockpiles over the years.

He was the leader of Squad Four, and as such trailed at the back of the formation. While Squads One, Two, and Three continued up the stairs, Squad Four stopped here at this floor where Brother Power Flux was waiting; Power Flux was in charge of Squad One, and would catch up to his team afterwards.

But now, he was giving Squad Four a rundown of their assignment:

"The Dark Lady wants as many of the young ones alive as you can manage," he said, looking between Yellow Jacket and the others in his squad. "Subdue them however you can, then bring them down to the tunnels and await further instructions from either myself or one of the other squad leaders. If you hear nothing in one hour, leave. The Dark Lady will guide you."

"How many are there?" Jacket asked.

"Roughly thirty is my best estimate."

Jacket hummed. "We would have to make multiple trips, Brother. Wouldn't that attract attention or risk them escaping?"

"Do it however you like, Brother. If you don't want to take multiple trips, kill the ones you don't take with you. And, if they present a problem that puts your assignment at risk, kill or cripple anypony who resists." Flux pulled Jacket close, not to whisper, but to look him in the eye. "And remember, they are freaks just like the Traitors. Your armor should protect you, but don't be stupid. It isn't infallible."

Jacket gulped and nodded. "Of course. 'Being stupid' is what got Brother Melon and his team killed by that Traitor whore. The same will not happen to us, I assure you."

"I hope not." Flux clapped him on the back. "Get to work, Brother Jacket. May the Dark Lady guide you on your path."

"Long may She reign," Jacket replied, thumping his armored hoof on his armored chest.

As Power Flux left, Jacket turned to his team and gestured towards the door, then made a few gestures with his hooves to indicate for them to take positions. A larger member of his squad, Steel Straw, readied himself a few feet from the door, then, on Jacket's signal, rushed forward and busted it down.

Which was surprising, actually. Jacket had been led to believe these doors were locked and quite difficult to break down with just brute strength. He'd expected Brother Steel to take at least two attempts, most likely three.

He and his squad immediately moved in through the open door and into what was supposed to be some sort of primary access floor to the facility these freak children lived in. They had dormitories on the floors below this one that could only be accessed via this primary room, hence why his squad had to come through here first. The dorms would naturally be where the children would hide after the intruder alarm had been activated; it would ironically make it easier to round them up.

The entire room was completely dark, as in, there wasn't a single light source whatsoever, not even from any windows; only the dim bulb in the maintenance stairway behind them provided any light at all, and the light just didn't reach into the room enough to make any difference.

Since he couldn't silently indicate to his squad to activate their flashlights with hoof signals, he activated his first so that they would follow his lead. Ten lights in the darkness now.

The room was empty of any ponies, though it was clear there had been some here fairly recently and that they hadn't cleaned up after themselves before leaving. Some of the children must have been gathered here before the alarms went off, playing board games and eating snacks. The layout of the floor was reminiscent of a classroom and a cafeteria side-by-side, with some sort of lounge area off in the corner.

There was an odd decoration in the lounge area though that briefly drew Jacket's attention. Some sort of bipedal suit of armor, it looked like, but in a strangely modern style. Was it a suit of armor designed for a bear? They didn't have bears up here. It must have been a novelty item or something that the stupid kids were interested in; a school mascot perhaps.

Jacket gestured for the team to spread out and find the entrance to the dormitory floor; he himself headed into the classroom area to look around. There were maybe a dozen desks here and a large monitor at the head of the classroom. It was all very stand—

The door to the maintenance stairway slammed shut.

Ten lights shot to the door to see what had happened, Jacket's included. None of his team was within ten feet of the door; how did it close? Was it automatic?

Then, all ten flashlights started to flicker simultaneously. Which was, of course, impossible; the batteries were all brand new and high quality. What in the world was going—

"Y'know, I think that maybe I should have left one of your little asshole friends alive when they attacked us at the arcade," came a female voice from… well, from Jacket's perspective it sounded like it had come from right in front of him, but there wasn't anypony there.

"Where's that coming from?" Jacket quietly called out to his team as they all frantically searched for the source.

"It sounded like it was right in front of me," said Brother Steel, who was over near the deactivated elevator.

"Same here," said Sister Pennyfeathers, who was on the entirely opposite side of the room from Jacket, near the suit of bear armor.

The rest of the squad chimed in with the same. What in the world was going on?

"If I had left one of them alive, then they would've crawled back to whatever hole you all crawled out of, and they would have told you all the story of how you don't. Fuck. With Red Velvet." A pause. "You can fuck Red Velvet, sure, but don't fuck with her. Do you get what I'm saying here?"

"Where are you?" Jacket called out, unslinging his rifle and preparing to use it; his squadmates didn't even need hoof signals to do the same. "Show yourself!"

"Why is it that everypony who can't see who they're talking to is always all with the 'show yourself!' schtick? What, you think if somepony was trying to hide from you and talk to you from a different location that they'd actually fall for that? Pfft. You'd have to be pretty stupid to think I'd fall for that."

Jacket snorted. "Then tell us where you are, and we'll come to you if that makes you feel better."

"Oh, sure sure, I can do that. At the moment I'm

Over here!"

Jacket aimed his light and gun to the left. There wasn't anypony there. A brief glance at his squad, though, told him that they weren't all looking in the same direction that he was; they were looking to the left of where they'd been facing before, which was exactly what he was doing. What?

"Or maybe I'm

Over here!"

Jacket swung far to the right, and again, nothing, and again, his whole squad had done practically exactly the same thing that he'd done, only they weren't all looking where he was looking. What was going on? Where was that damned bitch hiding?

"Orrr, maybe I'm

Right behind you."

Jacket turned completely about face, but there was nopony—

Somepony on his squad let out an agonizing scream, then a loud gurgle; they all turned their lights over to see that Brother Bitter Bottle was missing his head, just as his body was teetering over. And that was all that they saw; there was otherwise no movement whatsoever anywhere in the room apart from Jacket and his squad.

The voice came again: "Now, do you see what happens when you fuck with Velvet? When you fuck with her kids? The last guys who did that ended up in several different garbage bags. Face it: you guys are all gonna die tonight. Painfully."

"I don't know who or what you are, but you're the one who's going to die tonight," Jacket snarled up at the ceiling, since that seemed the most sensible place to direct his vitriol. He signaled to the others in the squad to search around for the voice's source; she had to be somewhere in the room.

"I know why you're here, y'know. Your friends from last time wanted to take my kids away from me, and you're trying to do it again now. What I don't know is why. I'd love to know the reason why you guys are throwing your lives away to take my kids from me."

"We're not telling you anything. You can hide all you want—"

Another of his squadmates let out a gurgling noise, and everypony turned to see that Sister Almond Joy was clutching her throat—what was left of it—and slumping forward to fall to the floor.

"I'll ask you again: what do you want with my kids? Hmm?"

"Come out and fight, damn you!" Jacket snapped. "Where are you hiding?!"

Everypony heard the thump of another squadmate hitting the floor. Brother Steel hadn't even made a sound and nopony could see what his injury had been.

"I can do this all night if you want, y'know. Killing a bunch of faceless mooks doesn't bother me one bit. I just don't understand why you think your lives are worth not giving me an answer? Is it really that bad?"

Sister Pennyfeather, who was still near the suit of bear armor, growled, then shouted up at the ceiling, proud and true: "Your 'kids' are the property of our Dark Lady! She gave them Her blessings! Once She has burned this city to ash, She will use them in Her army to conquer the south and any other world She wants! They are Her children, not yours, whore!"

"Aha, that makes a lot of sense, actually. Wonderful, thanks for being honest with me. I think you deserve a prize. You wanna know what it is?"

"No, what?"

"It means I'm not gonna kill you, of course! I mean, duh? You answered my question. I think it's only fair that I don't kill you."

The light in the room went on all at once, filling the entire room with a red glow, the kind that they had in those red light sex clubs that were popular in parts of the Mid-East District.

Jacket, and the rest of his squad, were quite surprised when the suit of bear armor moved. None were more surprised than Sister Pennyfeather, of course, who was right next to the suit, especially since the suit had just grabbed hold of her neck in between its two meaty forelimbs.

"But that doesn't mean that I'm going to let you live," the suit said in a perfectly articulate, normal voice that wasn't even remotely what Jacket thought a bear would sound like if a bear could talk.

"Wh-what?" wheezed Pennyfeather.

The armor squeezed down and crushed Pennyfeather's neck, then dropped her like a garbage bag before turning towards the remaining squadmates. It was here that Jacket realized that there was a stallion inside the armor. "Okay, who's next?"

With a target that they could actually, finally see, Jacket and his squad opened fire on the bear. It did approximately nothing; whatever the armor was made out of, it completely absorbed the impact of the rifle rounds and left the broken shells to fall to the floor; some rounds even ricocheted off and fragmented into the walls behind the target.

The armor then lifted its left arm, upon which was mounted a rifle of some sort. It fired a single round and hit Brother Socket Wrench right in the chest and came straight out the other side, leaving a two-inch-wide hole in its wake.

More rounds were fired at the armor, and still they did nothing. The armor moved with a little less agility and speed than a pony, but that didn't matter; Jacket and his squad didn't have any place to run to anyway, and it was still fast enough to keep up with them.

It caught up to Brother Mayflower with only a few strides after cornering him in the eating area, then just simply raised its right arm and bashed Mayflower's face in with a punch. Two punches— no, three.

The armor only stopped because Mayflower no longer had a face to punch. Jacket had no idea why that thought had just come to him; in fact, he was fairly certain it wasn't even his thought at all.

"And hey, just so that nopony forgets about me," said the voice from earlier, "I'm gonna join in on the fun too. Hope you guys don't mind. Sharing is caring, after all!"

It was difficult to see in the red light of the room, but there was a new pony in here that just sort of appeared right next to Brother Low Tide. There were off-putting, blackish-red tendrils sprouting from her forelegs, which she used to, without much effort at all, slice through the joints in the Low Tide's armor.

Low Tide fell apart, literally. Again, why was Jacket thinking such a morbidly inappropriate way to describe his comrade's death? This wasn't how he usually thought at all about anything. He'd always been a serious sort and blah blah blah blah blah.

Pretty soon, Jacket was the only one left, cornered against a window. He didn't know when it had happened, but he'd been stabbed in the neck through the joint between the separate pieces of armor. Why couldn't he remember that happening? Why couldn't he remember even getting over here? Why couldn't he remember—

"Because if we went through each and every death in your stupid little squad, each one of you would have to have a name, and those get tiring after a while," said the blood-drenched mare who was stepping over to him. "I mean, you noticed after a certain point that your names got kinda silly, right?"

"Fuck you, bitch," Jacket spat, pointing his rifle and taking a shot. It just gave a loud click; out of ammo.

The mare rolled her eyes. "Not that it would help, anyway. You know I can heal from pretty much anything, right? Or did you miss that part of your little cult's seminar? Hey, speaking of which, if you guys are a cult, do you have, like, cult meetings or something? This is a real cult, right, not a scam? What's the entry fee like?"

"You make jokes, but right now, the Dark Lady—"

"Oh, shut up, geez. Everypony's tired of that 'Dark Lady' shit already. Do you guys go door-to-door with pamphlets or whatever, trying to get converts? All knocking on doors, 'Hello! Would you like to change religions?! I have a free book written by the Dark Lady!' The Book of Morons, we'll call it."

She then turned to the stallion in the suit of bear armor and gave him a bright smile. "Oh hey, by the way, I got more kills than you did, babe, so you can get this one."

The stallion chuckled. "Oh, it would be my pleasure." He reached out with his right arm and grabbed Jacket by the neck, lifting him up and pressing him against the window. "How do you like my suit, by the way? I made it myself. The Pilot-Operated Mechanical Pony." A pause. "The name's a work-in-progress."

"I told him it made it too easy to make fun of," the mare chortled, running a hoof through her blood-soaked mane. "POMP and Circumstance, POMPous ass, POMPadour, yadda yadda yadda. And hey, change just one letter and you've got the PIMP. I don't know what that would stand for, but walking around in a PIMP suit doesn't sound very serious, y'know?"

The armored stallion tilted his head. "It's funny actually, come to think of it."

"What is? PIMP?"

"No, I mean, when Nihila's cult attacked you—"

Jacket snarled even as he struggled in the suit's firm grip. "You dare use the Dark Lady's true name—"

"Oh my stars, shut uuupp," the mare groaned, holding her temples. "You guys are the worst cult in the history of ever. Why can't you be one of the cool ones that all drink poisoned wine or whatever, sheesh. Save us all the trouble."

"Ahem. As I was saying," the armored stallion continued. "When Nihila's little fan club last attacked you and threatened our students, I told you that if necessary, I would hunt down each and every one of them and kill them with my bare hooves if I had to. Do you remember?"

The mare bit her lip and nodded. "Oh yeah, I remember. I love it when you get all violent and passionate like that. Huge turn-on. Why is that funny, though?"

"Because I'm not using my bare hooves, of course."

The mare paused, tilted her head, then shook her head in disapproval. "Nah, you lost the audience, babe. You know how to do a lot of stuff, but you really gotta work on your jokes. Just throw him out the window so we can start cleaning up already. You're embarrassing me."

The stallion shrugged, then turned back to Jacket. "You heard the lady."

The armored hoof then shoved him right through the tinted glass and out into the open air beyond. As Jacket was an earth pony, he couldn't fly even if he wanted to, so he knew that he was going to meet his Dark Lady soon, having loyally served Her for many years. Knowing that his soul would give Her strength gave him all the satisfaction that he needed; he was not afraid to die for Her.

Long may She reign.

*****

Brother Jackhammer's Squad Three stopped at the sixty-third floor of Pandora Tower while Squads One and Two moved further up to secure the top floors of the tower. Squad Three was the smallest of the squads, only consisting of Jackhammer himself, Brother Indigo Clover, Brother Brass Tack, and Sister Lavender Silk. They didn't need a large team since their task was relatively simple and should be quick and easy.

"Brothers, Sister, we have one task ahead of us," he said to the team as they prepared to break down the door into the room proper. "The Leaders presented Brother Flux with a dagger several weeks back, which he gave to Brother Melon to use to murder one of the Traitors. Brother Melon lost it and disgraced us with his failure; we are to retrieve it.

"This dagger is absolutely crucial to the success of our Dark Lady's plans. Without it, we lack a distinct advantage against the Traitors; they may yet be able to resist us. It is made of pure dark obsidian, the only pure source we have left of it; the rest we used to strengthen our armor, but the pure material is stronger. We cannot fail, is that understood?"

His squadmates saluted. "Yes sir," they said in quiet unison.

Jackhammer gestured at Brother Brass, whose strength would help break down the door. It would still likely take two or three attempts, but—

Strangely, he was able to do it in one. "Well done, Brother," Jackhammer said as he followed behind and entered the floor proper. "You've certainly put in a lot of work with your regimen if you broke that door down so well. I underestimated you."

"Thank you, Brother," Brass said with a firm nod. "Our Dark Lady guides us this evening. I could feel Her presence within my bones, giving me strength."

Jackhammer grinned and clapped Brass on the shoulder. "Long may She reign. Come, let's find our target and carry on with the mission."

The floor consisted of a hallway that wrapped around the entire floor, with rooms on either side that were designed for forensics and scientific research. At the moment the floor was dimly lit, but that wasn't really much concern; the dagger wouldn't be lying around in the hall, after all, but in one of the rooms, which each surely had their own light sources.

Jackhammer and his squad moved down the hall to the left first, making for the first doorway. The rooms themselves weren't kept under lock and key, so to speak, so it was relatively easy to get the door open and check inside for movement.

The room was dark, of course—nopony would have reason to be here today if the Traitors were expecting an attack—so Jackhammer turned on the light. The room seemed to be cleaned and prepped for some fresh project, so everything was in its proper place and stored away. The dagger wasn't anywhere out in the open.

But that didn't mean that it wouldn't be hiding somewhere. "Brother Brass, search the room," Jackhammer said, gesturing inside with his head as Brass moved forward. "We'll move on to the next room and keep moving along room by room. Report on what you find or don't find when you're done. And be thorough."

"Yes sir," Brass said with a salute.

As Brass entered the room, Jackhammer took Clover and Lavender along to the next room, repeating the process of opening the door, checking for movement or danger, turning on the lights, then putting somepony in the room to search it, in this case Clover. Lavender was assigned to the next room, and Jackhammer took the fourth. Time was of the essence, so they needed to be quick; four rooms at a time would save them precious minutes.

Jackhammer searched through every drawer, every cabinet, and every storage container in the room; he looked under the chair, the desk, and the research table; his eyes scanned every surface for any trace whatsoever of the dagger, but found none. Though it took several minutes, he found nothing useful whatsoever.

As he headed back into the hall, Brother Brass approached; he was empty-hooved as well. Jackhammer tilted his head further down the hallway. "Check the next room over, Brass," he said. He then waited and directed Clover and Lavender to continue onward before following on to the eighth room along the hall.

After yet another thorough check, he found nothing yet again. He hoped somepony else on the squad was having better luck, but even still, he knew this was a very hopeful assignment in the first place. They didn't know with absolute certainty whether or not the dagger had been moved to another floor or even if it was still here in the tower at all—hence why they didn't waste numbers on the assignment—but they had to try.

As he left the room and moved into the hall, he waited for the rest of the squad to finish their checks, and Clover and Lavender returned first, having taken roughly the same amount of time that they had with their rooms before. Brass was taking some time, though. A long time, actually, as the squad waited a good minute without so much as a peep from him.

"Brass, have you found something?" Jackhammer called back.

No response.

"Brass, report. Have you found anything in there?"

No response.

Jackhammer gestured with hoof signals for Clover to check out the room Brass had been in; the other stallion nodded, prepped his rifle, then moved slowly and quietly over to the door. He then sharply moved into position in case there was a hostile inside… then lowered his rifle.

"Brass isn't in here," Clover said, tilting his head towards the room. "He's gone."

"The hell do you mean 'he's gone'?" Jackhammer grunted. He stomped over to the room and looked inside, and sure enough, nothing. The room was still totally clean and neat, though it was clear that Brass had been here and searched through some of the drawers. "What the hell? Where is he?"

"Like I said: he's gone."

Lavender gulped. "We're not alone here, Brothers. There's somepony else here, there just has to be."

Jackhammer hummed, then cracked his neck. "I agree. Brother Flux said that one of the Traitors had the ability to change her shape. She must be here on the floor with us now."

Clover tilted his head. "Change her shape? You mean… like she can change into a trash can? She could be anywhere!"

"No, you idiot, she can change her skin to look like another pony's," Lavender snapped. She paused, then looked at Jackhammer, eyes wide. "Wait… does that mean that—"

"Yes, Sister Lavender," Jackhammer said, lifting his rifle and aiming it at her. "It means that either one of you could really be the Traitor in disguise."

Lavender aimed her rifle right back at him. "What're you aiming at me for, Brother? I'm not the Traitor!"

"That's exactly something that the Traitor would say to get us off her trail!" spat Clover, also aiming his gun at Lavender.

Lavender swiveled on her hoof to aim at Clover now. "And casting blame on me to draw it away from you is exactly something that a Traitor would do, Traitor!"

"You're acting suspicious! You knew exactly what the Traitor was able to do! I didn't know any of that, so obviously you know how her freak powers work, because you're her."

"No, you're her! You obviously killed Brass and hid the body so that we wouldn't find it, and you're faking stupidity to draw attention away! Everypony knows what the Traitors can do, Traitor."

"When could I have had the time to even do that?! We only took a few minutes each to search the rooms, and you would've heard me kill him and hide him, and there would obviously be evidence!" Clover paused, then clenched his teeth. "Which means obviously it was you!"

Lavender rolled her eyes. "How does that 'obviously' mean that it was me?"

"Because you obviously snuck over, killed Brass and hid the body, and now you're trying to pin it on me. You've always been sneakier than the rest of us. Always acting all shifty-eyed back at the hideout—"

Lavender snarled; she looked like she was about ready to shoot him right then and there. "Are you for real? If anypony's been suspicious at the hideout, it's you. Always sneaking around at night and saying you have to 'use the bathroom'. Bullshit. I bet you're sneaking out to send messages to the Tratiors!"

"I have a kidney condition, you stupid bitch!"

Jackhammer didn't hesitate to shoot Lavender in the face through her visor right then and there. Clover leapt back a few feet in shock and aimed his rifle at Jackhammer.

"What the fuck?! What the fuck dude?!"

"Easy, Clover, easy," Jackhammer said, lowering his rifle and just using his hoof to gesture for Clover to do the same. "I know that you're not the Traitor. You mentioned your kidney condition, and obviously the Traitor couldn't know that you have one."

Clover didn't lower his rifle, though he did relax on the trigger a bit. "Y-yeah? How do you know about it? Huh?"

"Because you asked me for a recommendation for a doctor to see about your kidney stones two years ago? Remember?"

"Oh… oh yeah, that's right, I did ask you that, didn't I?"

"That's right, you did." Jackhammer gestured towards the dead body of "Lavender". "Just watch. Since she was the Traitor, she's gonna change back to her original form any second now, just like in the movies, okay? Just watch."

Clover gulped and nodded, then looked towards the bleeding, twitching corpse of their supposed "Sister". And they waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing changed.

Jackhammer was careful not to make any sudden movements; something wasn't right here. If Lavender was the Traitor, then surely she'd have shifted back to her true form by now, but she wasn't. Which meant…

"Say, Clover?" Jackhammer asked, his tone still calm and smooth. "What was the name of the doctor who I recommended for you again?"

Clover blinked. "Oh, um… Doctor River Dancer, right?"

Jackhammer closed his eyes and took a short breath, then, in one swift movement, swung his rifle around and shot Clover in the neck, through the gap between his helmet and his shoulder armor. Clover clutched his throat and fell to the ground, gasping desperately for air.

"It was Doctor River Driver, Traitor. The real Clover would have known that."

"Clover" gurgled something and started reaching for "his" rifle.

Jackhammer shook his head and kicked the Traitor's rifle away. "I don't know how you figured out Clover's kidney condition, but you must think you're pretty clever, don't you? Tricking me into killing Sister Lavender like that? A regrettable sacrifice, but the Dark Lady will reward her service."

He pressed his rifle right up against the Traitor's visor and fired another two rounds in quick succession; better safe than sorry when dealing with these Traitors, he figured. A shame that the rest of his squad had to die to deal with one of the Traitors but it was a worthy trade-off; the Dark Lady would be proud of their dedication and proud of his resolve.

The fake Clover's body sure was taking a long time to change back to its true form, though. Maybe that wasn't how it actually worked? Life wasn't always like the movies, apparently.

Oh well. He didn't have time to think about it. He had a mission to accomplish, and he would do so in the Dark Lady's name no matter who stood in his way.

Long may She reign.

~~~~~

A very much invisible Curaçao watched quietly from the doorway into one of the examination rooms as the last member of the little squad moved on down the hall. She hadn't expected the paranoid to ramp up so quickly and effectively, but she wasn't going to question it. It wasn't often that somepony had the common courtesy to do half her job for her, after all.

*****

Sister Platinum Rivet and Squad Two followed Brother Power Flux and Squad One up, up, up towards the top floors of the tower. To her surprise, and likely to the surprise of the other members of the two seven-pony teams remaining, the door leading into their destination was already unlocked. Flux just needed to push it open and that was it.

Both squads entered into the room which was well-lit but otherwise unoccupied. It appeared to be an entertainment lounge of some sort, specifically one designed for a smaller number of ponies and for niche interests: there was a piano up on a platform in one corner, a pool table in another, as well as a dart board, a chessboard on its own table, and a stocked minibar against the near wall.

The elevator doors were nearby to the maintenance stairwell, but of course the elevators were still disabled; Rivet was more than a little winded and aggravated that she had had to climb over one hundred floors to get here for that reason. On the opposite end of the room was the door to the stairs that would lead up to the next floor, which would in turn lead to another set of stairs that would lead to the roof.

The windows in the room were huge, covering the left and right wall from floor to ceiling. Rivet could see pretty much the entire city from up here, which included what looked like some fires out in the west end of the city. Ironic, that; here she and her Brothers and Sisters were, trying to ensure that their Dark Lady's glorious purpose was fulfilled and that She could burn this city to ashes, and the citizens were doing it on their own.

"Where is everypony?" one of the ponies on Squad One asked; Rivet didn't bother memorizing his name since he wasn't on her squad.

"Either on the next floor, the roof, or making their way up here after the alarms drew them elsewhere," Brother Flux said with a nod. "They must have other means of traveling to the other floors that we don't."

Flux then turned to Rivet. "Sister Rivet, you and your squad will hold this position until Squad Three arrives, then proceed to the roof. If the Traitors or their companions try to sneak behind us, you're our first line of defense."

"Of course, Brother Flux," Rivet said with a brisk salute. "May the Dark Lady guide your hooves and bring swift death to Her enemies."

"And you as well, Sister." Flux gestured for his squad to move to the other stairwell, and followed along after them as they ascended.

Rivet turned to her squad. "Spread out, keep your eyes peeled. I don't like this."

"Me neither, Sister," said Brother Shell Shock, his eyes darting around the room. "I was expecting some sort of resistance by now. Why does it feel like we're walking into a trap?"

"Because we're obviously walking into a trap, Brother. The Traitors and their allies knew we were coming and made attempts to prepare for our arrival. Their efforts will be in vain; our Dark Lady will guide us along our path to victory in Her name. Long may She reign."

Shock nodded and thumped his hoof against his chest. "Long may She reign."

The squad spread out and looked about for any sign of a threat, but at the moment the room was perfectly calm and quiet. Even looking out the windows didn't show any sign of the pegasi Traitors or their pegasi comrades, below or above them.

It was beginning to get worrisome, actually; did this mean that the Traitors were all together and possibly fighting against Squads Three and Four? Or were they all on the roof waiting to ambush Squad One?

Rivet had no sympathy of course, because if her comrades were killed while serving in the Dark Lady's name, then they would earn a seat by Her side in the end times, their souls empowering Her to even greater heights. However, if they died in Her service now, then that meant that they had failed in their missions, which meant that Squad Two would need to pick up the slack.

Then the room suddenly went pitch dark for all of about a second—Rivet felt as though she'd basically just blinked and nothing more—before the lights came back on in full force.

The layout of the room had, in the span of that one second, changed slightly; there was what looked like a fashion runway leading from the elevator into the room, complete with spotlights along the edges pointing inwards. A curtain was draped over the elevator door now that hadn't been there earlier. There was even a row of exactly seven seats—comfortable chairs, too—spread out around the runway.

Oddly enough, none of this remotely disturbed the rest of the room's layout at all; if Riven didn't know any better, she'd have sworn this new addition had always been there. Her initial thought was to panic at the sudden change, but there was something about it that was oddly compelling, despite her confusion.

Then, the door to the maintenance stairway opened up and a pink mare with a poofy pink mane wearing a professional-looking blazer stepped out of it, looking through a set of what looked like index cards. The mare stepped up onto a platform that was next to the runway, then looked out amongst the squad before putting her hooves on her hips, disgruntled.

"Sheesh, guys, aren't you gonna take your seats?" the mare said, gesturing at the empty seats around the runway. "The show's about to start! This is very unprofessional—"

Rivet didn't know which one of her squadmates had fired their rifle at first—a quick look told her it was Brother Quick Trigger, appropriately enough—but then it didn't seem to matter; the shot had missed wildly and impacted about a foot to the right of the mare's head, striking the wall behind her.

The mare glanced first at the bullet hole, then out at Trigger, and pointed at him with disapproval. "Hey! Did you forget to check your weapon at the door? You know that we don't allow firearms in the showroom. Security!"

Two more pink mares with pink, poofy manes, these ones wearing security uniforms like you'd see at the mall, popped up on either side of Trigger, grabbed him up underneath his forelimbs and, without an ounce of resistance from Trigger whatsoever, escorted him over to the maintenance stairway, opened the door, kicked him out, and slammed the door behind him.

Rivet had no idea why she nor anypony else in the squad had done anything to stop it. She felt strangely… compelled to just watch it happen.

The pink mare on the stage—the other two now stood guard by the maintenance stairwell so that Trigger couldn't get back in—cleared her throat and gestured at the empty seats meaningfully. "Ahem? Take your seats, folks, c'mon. We don't have all night."

Rivet didn't know why she was listening to the bossy pink mare, and that terrified her. Why was she moving so quickly to not only take one of the seats for herself, but to put away her gun so that those… security mares didn't throw her out? But hey, these seats were cozy! This was the most comfortable chair she'd sat in in years.

Oddly, Rivet noticed that another pink mare was sitting in the seat that had once probably belonged to Trigger. She was dressed in an old-timey reporter's cap and a trenchcoat and looked like she was taking notes. Taking notes on what? Why did she have a press badge? Why was she dressed like that? What was going on?!

The podium mare cleared her throat again, then took a breath, and instantly there was a spotlight on her. "Fillies and gentlecolts, it's time for the night's main event—from our perspective anyway—the Spring Swimwear Fashion Showcase! We have some beautiful models here tonight that will be modeling creations by esteemed designer Rarity of Lovers' Lane, hoo hoo."

The mare then flipped to the next index card in her stack. "The models tonight will display beachwear with a touch of tropical themes to evoke the mystique, splendor, and romance of the southern seas inspired by Seaside traditions, but with a touch of modern northern flair and, hmm hmm, sensuality. So let's get the music started, and then bring in the girls!"

A spotlight popped on in the opposite corner of the room, at the piano, where another pink, poofy mare in a proper tuxedo immediately started playing the piano… and yet somehow starting making all of the sounds of an entire traditional Seaside band, including maracas, trumpets, a guitar, a violin, and yet not a piano at all.

Rivet had no idea what to expect next, but it was definitely not to see the most gorgeous black unicorn mare she'd ever seen step out from behind the curtain. The mare was wearing… well, the pink podium mare was describing it:

"Insipid here is modeling a piece called 'Mermare Myths'. This piece draws inspiration from the Seaside legends of mermares—half-mare, half-fish creatures that live in the southern seas," she said, reading from her index card. "The flowing green 'tail' evokes the long, fish-like tails of the mermare, while the clamshell necklace and bikini bottom evoke the shells the mermares are said to wear to attract mates."

"That's the ticket!" the pink reporter mare said, frantically scribbling in her notepad. "Clams on the dame's clam, yessir, that's a heckuva pun!"

"Hold on a minute!" exclaimed Shell Shock, sharply rising to his hooves and looking quite distressed. "Are we seriously sitting here watching a fashion show right now?! What the hell is going on? What's happening?! Why are we doing this?!"

The model mare tilted her head; she happened to be right in front of Shell when he made his outburst. "Are you, like, not enjoying yourself?" she asked, a hoof to her mouth. "'Cause like, I thought for sure you guys would want to all watch me wearing a bunch of different swimsuits and junk? I mean, you know who I am, right?"

Before Shell could respond, Brother Chili Powder abruptly stood up as well. "Yeah! You're Insipid! You were in last year's Lovers' Lane lingerie catalogue! Pages fourteen, twenty-one, twenty-six, and thirty-seven!" At the looks his squadmates were giving him, he gave a shrug. "What? A bloke can't have a wank over lingerie every now and then?"

The mare, Insipid, blinked. "Oh! Wow, that's some real memorization there. Are you a fan? What am I asking, of course you are, obviously. And honestly, I'm flattered, I guess? I mean, you're totally not the first stallion to admit he was, like, doing that with one of my more risqué collections."

Shell slapped the back of Chili's head. "What the fuck are you talking to her for?! She's one of the Traitors! We're supposed to kill them!"

Rivet realized that Shell was right; what the hell was going on? She was supposed to be trying to kill this mare, but she'd been so captivated by her beauty that she'd forgotten all about it. Well, it was time to put a stop to whatever was causing this problem. She reached for her rifle—

"So… you guys don't want to let me have my swimsuit show?" Insipid asked; Rivet couldn't explain why she hesitated, or why she wanted to just let the damnable mare keep talking. "'Cause like, I only get to do these once a year in the summer, and I was really looking forward to getting a little practice in. Cha."

Shell reached for his rifle. "Die, Traitor!"

"Ah well." Insipid turned to the pink mare. "You're so much better with these powers than I am, Pinkie. You handle this." Rivet watched as Shell just seemed to lock-up in place so that the two mares could have another conversation.

The pink mare, Pinkie, smiled, nodded, and came onto the stage to pat Insipid's shoulder. "It's alright, you gave it a try and you got to have a little fun, and that's all that matters: having fun. You had fun, right?"

"While it lasted, yeah."

"Then it's allll good." Pinkie then turned to the squad below—why weren't any of them shooting her? Why wasn't Rivet shooting her?!—and gave them a disapproving shake of her head. "As for you guys, shame on you, spoiling my friend's fun. Looks like you all need to be taught a little lesson." She pointed at the piano-playing Pinkie. "Hit it!"

How a piano could suddenly start playing an instrumental rock song, Rivet had no idea, but that wasn't important right now. What was important was that the Pinkie on the stage dramatically ripped off her fancy blazer to reveal that she was wearing an entire costume of some kind underneath it that should not have been able to go unnoticed:

A bright red coat that went all the way down to her flank over a white, long-sleeved shirt with matching hoof guards over her fore hooves; black pants over her flank, rear, and hind legs; white boots over the pants; a long, white scarf around her neck; and, to top it off, a pair of flight goggles. Oh, and a wicked sweet blue and white guitar; Rivet couldn't describe it any other way.

The dramatic undressing almost seemed to happen in slow motion, and the pink mare moved like a blur, wielding her guitar like it was an actual weapon, a baseball bat perhaps, and leaping off of the stage to smash Shell across the face with it.

The guitar gave off an appropriately guitar-y noise but was somehow completely undamaged; Shell, meanwhile, was launched across the room like a rocket, slamming into the opposite wall and leaving an impact print like in the cartoons.

"I've been waiting over a decade to do this!" Pinkie cackled, a wicked, crazy look in her eyes as she turned towards Chili. "Luuunch tiiiime!"

Wham. She'd swung the guitar in an arc from below, smashing Chili in the gut and sending him into the ceiling.

Rivet and the other three remaining squad members all took aim with their rifles and fired. Again, everything seemed to suddenly start moving in slow-motion, as the pink mare leaped over the seats, twisted in the air to avoid each and every round, then brandished the guitar like a shotgun, with the head serving as the barrel—wait, was there an actual gun barrel there?!

The blast the guitar fired exploded at the hooves of both Brother Elbow Grease and Brother Rocket Fuel, knocking them off their hooves and knocking them out in one fell swoop.

"She's so fast!" spat Brother Smoke Cloud as he fired at the target; she was still just barely avoiding round after round after round with ease. "How is she so—"

Pinkie leapt through the air right at him and smashed down with her guitar right onto his head, flattening him into the floor.

Rivet was left in awe at what she'd just seen. This poofball-maned pink mare had just taken out five heavily armed and armored soldiers in the span of about ten seconds and didn't even look like she was breaking a sweat doing it. How was all this happening? It was, simply put, impossible.

"You can't be real…" Rivet muttered in disbelief.

And then, to her legitimate shock and surprise, the pink mare's new clothes and guitar all fell apart into threads and pieces, falling to the floor and vanishing into nothingness. The "other" poofy pink mares also vanished, though they did so in puffs of comical smoke. Even the music stopped, and the room was quiet once again.

"Heyyy…" Pinkie groaned, giving Rivet a mean stink-eye. "You ruined it! I finally got a chance to do this and you ruined it! What a jerk, you jerk! Are you happy with yourself, huh? Do you like ruining other ponies' fun? I'm never gonna get another chance at this!"

Rivet paused, because in that moment she realized that she had her chance. She took aim with her rifle—

Then she quickly snapped her head to the left to see a piano just inches away from her face, flung by Insipid's magic. "Shi—"

*****

Power Flux opened the door to the top floor of Pandora Tower and ushered his squad in first before bringing up the rear. In the grand scheme of things, what he was doing right now was utterly insignificant, but from the perspective of somepony who'd lived in this damned city his entire life, it was quite an accomplishment: he was walking along on the top floor of the enigmatic Pandora Tower.

The entire floor was composed of a large sort of… rock garden, or something like that. He'd heard about these before; some of the Inner District ponies built them into their homes to serve as relaxation chambers. Supposedly, where and how the rocks were positioned could provide physical and mental health benefits. An absurd thought, but then rich ponies would believe anything if you attached a price tag to it.

There didn't seem to be anypony here, which was just bizarre at this point. Were all of the Traitors and their allies waiting up on the roof or something? That just seemed so unlikely that he couldn't believe it was true; the enemies of the Dark Lady were stupid to stand in the way of Her glorious return, certainly, but that just foolish pride and hubris, not an intellectual lacking. To all gather in such a space just seemed idiotic.

Then he watched as the mare-shaped stone statue just to the right of the central metal path moved and bucked her rocky rear hooves right into the side of Brother Night Blaze, who was right in front of Flux. The strike was so hard that it dented his metal armor around the ribcage, and he tumbled all the way across the sandy floor to come to a stop at the wall-sized window, groaning in agony.

The action had taken the squad by such surprise that nopony reacted for a good, full second, which was more than enough time for the mare-shaped statue to turn into sand and disappear into the sand beneath her hooves.

Flux and his squad turned their rifles towards the sand and opened fire just on principle. He had no idea if it was doing anything or even if it could, but what other option did they have?

Flux did not expect to hear hoofsteps from behind the large rock on the opposite side of the path, right behind Brother Onion Crisp. Nor did he expect to see a zebra stallion step around from behind the rock with some sort of huge sword held in his tail.

Nor did Flux expect that zebra to swing the sword around with such strength and speed that Onion couldn't react in time. Nor did he expect that zebra's sword to cut through Onion's armor and slice his chest open. How was that possible? The armor was made of primarily volcanic iron; this stuff was nearly as strong as police-grade durasteel.

Sister Breezewind, who was closest to Onion, turned her rifle towards the zebra to fire back; there was no way possible that the zebra could close the distance before she shot him. But Flux did not expect the zebra to simply point the tip of his blade right at Breezewind's face, and he did not expect a gout of black fire to launch forth from it.

Their armor was designed to protect against magic to a certain degree—the dark obsidian material that had been alloyed into it was of the same sort that had been used to make the Leaders' dagger—so it should have been of great use against a magical flame. Unfortunately, it only seemed to protect against the actual flames, not from the heat or light—odd, as the fire was black—that the fire generated.

The heat was enough that Breezewind flinched, clutching at her visor and screaming in pain, giving the zebra enough time to rotate back behind the large rock he'd come out from behind initially.

Flux gestured for Brothers Blacklight and Rusty Spoon to get into position on the left side of the rock, while he and Sister White Mocha moved to the right, where the statue had disappeared to.

White Mocha only managed to take a few steps through the sand before a pair of sandy hooves reached up, grabbed her hind legs, and pulled her down into the sand until she was buried up to her neck. Just how deep was this sand? It didn't matter; Flux immediately got off of the sand and back onto the central path.

"Help!" Mocha called. "I'm stuck! Help!"

Flux then watched as the rock that Blacklight was using as cover toppled over on top of him, manipulated by some unseen force. He'd tried to get out of the way, but the sand grabbed him and dragged him back in the way. He was pinned and effectively useless.

The sudden sounds distracted Rusty just enough that the zebra could leap back out from behind the rock and drive his sword straight through the side of Rusty's neck without much effort. Rusty hadn't turned in time to fire back and actually do anything, though Flux was certain that one shell had clipped the zebra's shoulder.

Flux was simply too shocked to even react. What the hell had just happened? Why was this happening? They'd done everything right, and yet he and his squad were being stopped by a primitive zebra and some living statue. What happened to their Dark Lady's guidance? Why was She not aiding them from Her throne beyond?

No, this wasn't good at all. Flux fell back towards the maintenance stairwell, taking a couple of potshots at the zebra to cover his retreat; the zebra used his sword as a shield, and the bullets didn't even dent it. Flux knew now that he needed to go back down and get reinforcements from Squad Two immediately.

As Flux reached the door and opened it, though, he was greeted by a most welcome and curious sight. "Brother Jackhammer?" he said, unable to help himself from giving a surprised grin. "Excellent, you made it. Where is the rest of your squad?"

"Down on the floor below us, holding the area," Jackhammer said. He glanced out into the room beyond, where the fallen members of Squad One—dead, injured, or trapped—lay strewn about. "I was hoping that you'd have done the same up here."

"Head back downstairs and grab the others. We need to get past these two," Flux replied, keeping his rifle focused on the zebra, who had retaken cover behind the rock. "Do you have the Leaders' dagger?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good, we might need to use it—"

Flux felt a sharp pain in his neck, and glanced to see the familiar hilt of the Leaders' dagger jutting out.

"Wh-what… are you…" Flux gurgled.

Jackhammer's hoof, still on the dagger and pressing firmly enough to shove Flux against the doorframe, slowly shifted in color and shape, into a mare's hoof, blue and slender. The rest of Jackhammer followed suit until he was no longer Jackhammer at all, but a beautiful blue-coated mare with a red mane, wearing a simple, comfortable jacket.

"Tu ne m'échapperas pas cette fois, mon ami," the mare said with a cocksure grin. "Au revoir et bon débarras."

She then sharply removed the dagger from his neck, cutting him harshly on the way out, before tossing the blade behind her down the stairs. He could hear it clatter on step after step after step.

As his vision started to fade, as he watched the blue mare step towards the zebra and an orange mare that had just popped out of the sand, watched them chat amicably, check that one another were uninjured, and ensure that his other squadmates were down for the count,

Power Flux could only barely gurgle out his last words: "Long… may… She…"

*****

Fluttershy was growing exhausted flying away again and again from the phoenix and its seemingly unstoppable rampage. The avian just wouldn't stop and listen to her, no matter how many times she'd tried so far; it would just lash out at anything and anypony that happened to be nearby, and the most that she and her friends were able to do was distract it and keep it occupied here in the part of the city that it had already ruined.

Which was probably the best they could do, actually, and frankly that could actually be considered a success.

But it wasn't enough. Fluttershy knew that she needed to calm the phoenix down for good, otherwise it might eventually grow bored of her and her friends and move elsewhere into the city. She couldn't let that happen, wouldn't let that happen.

"This isn't working, Shy," Havoc muttered as she and Fluttershy took cover in the burned-out husk of a building; the phoenix had taken flight and chased after them again, only to be slammed into the ground by a gravity burst from Gray. "I don't know if this is gonna work at all. We might have to put this bird down, y'know?"

"No, we can't," Fluttershy said, shaking her head firmly. "I have to keep trying. I know if I can just get it to listen to me, I can stop all this. Please, we have to keep trying."

Havoc sighed. "Look, I get what you're trying to do, and I think it's great and all, but we can't keep this up forever. I don't want to kill this thing either, but we're running out of options."

"Are we even sure we can kill it?" Gray asked, slowly flying into the hiding spot. "I've hit this thing with like six houses and it's not even slowing down. The wall guns didn't even do anything to it, and those things were supposed to be able to chase off a Gargantuan."

"Yeah, well, looks like there's a new apex predator on the loose, right?"

"We have to keep trying," Fluttershy said, giving Gray a pleading look. "Please, we have to. I can't… I can't just let this poor creature suffer like this, and I can't let it hurt anypony else because of its suffering. There has to be something that we can do."

Gray paused for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "Fine, but we need to change our strategy somehow, 'cause this one isn't working. We lured it a pretty good distance away from the untouched areas, but it's losing interest in us."

"And every time Shy tries to get its attention, it either breathes fire at us, or ignores us to go after you, or it tries to grab us," Havoc noted. "I dunno if Shy can talk to it while we're flying for our lives, but that seems unlikely."

Fluttershy hummed, then took a breath and closed her eyes. She had an idea. "Gray, you tried to pin it to the ground before, right? It looked like it was working."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "I mean, yeah? It struggled a lot and it was hard for me to keep it down, and then it shot fire at me. I'm lucky that I got out of there before I got turned into charcoal or soup or something. I dunno what it would do to me." She put her hoof over Havoc's mouth. "And I don't wanna know."

"Well, what if you focused on keeping it pinned, and Havoc protects you from the fire? That would let you concentrate all of your attention on the phoenix, wouldn't it?"

"I guess it would, but then Havoc's not with you."

"I know. But we need to keep the phoenix from moving around and attacking us so that I can talk to it. Do you think you can do it?"

Gray hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, I can do it."

"Dash ain't gonna like me leaving you alone," Havoc noted, crossing her hooves over her chest.

"I'll worry about Rainbow, okay?" Fluttershy replied with a small smile. "In fact, I'm going to go talk to her right now. I need her for part of my idea. You two stay safe and try to keep the phoenix's attention away from the rest of the city. When you see the signal, Gray, you pin the phoenix down. Okay?"

Gray nodded. "Sure, okay. What's the signal?"

"You'll know it when you see it."

Gray and Havoc shared a look, then shrugged. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, Shy."

"Yeah. Me too," Fluttershy sighed.

Fluttershy took off and, after making sure the phoenix's attention wasn't anywhere near her, she flew off towards the distant rain cloud that Rainbow had made. It had gotten a lot bigger over the past half-hour, and Rainbow was slowly pushing it over the ruined areas of the slums to put out the fires as she went.

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy called out, flying over and landing on top of the cloud and walking over to her friend. "Rainbow, we need your help!"

Rainbow poked her head up over the edge of the cloud. "Sure! I've been waiting for somepony to ask me to tag along. This damage control gig is great and all—really brings back Ponyville weather patrol memories—but I wanna be where the action is. So what's up, what's the plan?"

"We need a lot of rain over where the phoenix is, and we need it there fast," Fluttershy said, pointing off in the direction she'd come from. "Not just to put out the fires it's causing, but because I think it might weaken it enough for me to get its attention and keep its attention."

"This cloud's gonna take a while to get over there," Rainbow said, gesturing at the size of the cloud. "I mean, I could make a new one but it'll take time to do that, too, and that's right there with a big phoenix around that might not like what I'm doing."

"Okay… gotta get the rain there fast, okay…" Fluttershy paused, then nodded with another idea. "Can you make a hurricane?"

Rainbow blinked. "A hurricane? I mean yeah, no problem, but that's gonna be a lot of rain and wind, and probably a bit of lightning too, and I can't exactly stop on a dime when making it. It might cause a lot of collateral damage, y'know? Just sayin'."

Fluttershy gulped and nodded. "I know. But we don't have a choice. The phoenix is already moving towards the unwrecked areas, and if we don't keep its attention and subdue it now, it might start flying around the city and then we can't stop it without putting lots of ponies in danger."

Rainbow tapped her hoof to her chin, then nodded. "Alright, you got it. Give me a few minutes to get started, and I'll bring a hurricane over there. You're sure this is gonna work?"

"Thanks, Rainbow. This is going to work, I know it. I have to believe in it, because it's the only plan we have left."

Fluttershy then kicked off the cloud and flew as hard as she could back towards the phoenix battle, which was several minutes away at her top speed.

Which was unfortunate, as Rainbow had been quite honest about only taking a few minutes for her to get started. Fluttershy watched as Rainbow flew at high speed—not supersonic speed—overhead, the massive rain cloud trailing behind her as a storm cloud instead.

Within seconds, Fluttershy was caught in the hurricane-like storm, buffeted by some of the strongest winds that she'd ever felt and pelted by harsh rain. Lightning streaked through the cloud above, striking down below occasionally onto the twisted metal frames of what was left of some of the taller buildings.

True enough, Rainbow's hurricane was devastating to everything below it. Structures that were somehow still standing after the phoenix moved through the area did not withstand the hurricane afterwards; the remains of homes and businesses were torn apart by powerful winds.

At least all of the fires in the area were being put out, and Fluttershy hoped that there weren't any ponies still around. And luckily, the hurricane was somehow contained to just the area underneath the storm cloud, which amounted to about five square miles.

She saw the phoenix up ahead, its entire body giving off a plume of steam and smoke as the rain made contact with it. It seemed utterly confused by the development, looking about in the sky as if rain was a new concept to it that it should be quite angry with, as it was firing bursts of flame up at the cloud. These did almost nothing to it, but Fluttershy hoped Rainbow wasn't hiding somewhere up there.

Then the bird suddenly stumbled to the ground, its own weight being turned against it by Gray's gravity powers; Gray had gotten the signal. Though it took a few seconds for the phoenix to turn its head and locate the source of its annoyance, it did manage to struggle against Gray's powers well enough to eventually find the pegasus, and let out a breath of flame towards the second floor of a ruined building.

But Havoc was there as well, thankfully, because the flame stopped quite a distance before it reached the building's windows. The flame breath didn't seem any weaker because of the hurricane apart from how it billowed about and steamed in the process.

But the phoenix knew by now that when its flames were stopped, that meant that Havoc was working her magic, which meant that it needed to use its size and strength to chase her off as it usually did; the bird was clearly quite intelligent, which only served to make it more dangerous.

But it kept firing its flame breath this time while taking careful, slow steps towards the building as it fought against Gray's gravity. Fluttershy gasped; the phoenix had figured out that Havoc couldn't stop its breath and move at the same time, and was keeping her locked in place so that it could destroy the building with her and Gray inside.

Fluttershy flew as fast as she could—she was already flying as fast as she could, but pushed herself to fly faster—and yelled at the top of her lungs to try and get the phoenix's attention: "SSSTTOOOOOPP!"

She was never so thankful to have those angry eyes turn in her direction. The phoenix ceased breathing fire at Havoc and Gray just long enough to turn its attention towards Fluttershy; the fact that it could somehow hear her over the hurricane-strength winds was probably a contributing factor.

Before it turned its attention back to the other two pegasi, though, Fluttershy swept in and got right in the phoenix's face and Stared right into its eyes. "You stop that right now! Do you hear me?! You stop that! Right! Now!"

The phoenix hesitated, but kept its fierce gaze locked right on Fluttershy; with how close she was, she knew that it could reach out and snatch her up in its beak at any second if it wanted to. But for now, it was listening to her. Actually listening to her!

"I know that you're hurting! I know that something happened and it's made you very, very angry! But the ponies whose homes you're destroying, whose lives you're destroying, they're not responsible for it! They never did anything to hurt you!"

The phoenix opened its beak… and let out a ferocious screech; Fluttershy could feel her ears ringing, and they probably would keep ringing for a while.

"I want to help you!" She shouted back at the giant avian. "But I don't know why you're in pain, and I can't help you until I know what's wrong! Please, let me help! I don't want to see any creatures in pain anymore! Not these ponies, and not you either!"

The phoenix let out a low trill, though it kept its eyes locked with hers. It otherwise didn't move, didn't attack, didn't even blink. Fluttershy took that as a sign that she had an opening, so she took it, hesitating briefly at first as she flew forward and touched her hoof to the phoenix's beak; the beak was uncomfortably warm, like the surface of a cup of too-hot tea or coffee.

As her hoof made contact, Fluttershy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching out with her spirit to figure out what was wrong. Normally she could just tell what was bothering a critter or creature with little more than a glance, but this phoenix was so alien to her that it took a concentrated effort. Knowing that her natural affinity with animals had become "super" in this world just made her that much more confident.

Within seconds, she could sense the phoenix's spirit as it mingled with hers, and it was then that she realized what was wrong.

"You're in pain…" she murmured, both to herself and to the phoenix; the words didn't carry across the hurricane-strength winds surrounding them, but the bird would hear them all the same. "Not physical pain, though. No… you're grieving. The loss of a child, no… of children, of all of your children. Your pain is more than just emotional, it's spiritual.

"Your children were taken from you. Not by nature, but by an enemy…" Fluttershy could see glimpses in her mind. A large creature, though not nearly as large as the phoenix was now, destroying eggs. The red claws and tail were familiar, but even though the creature was smaller she still knew what it was. "A dragon. Dragons killed your children…"

More glimpses filled her mind, glimpses of the phoenix, smaller than she was now—the phoenix was female, a mother, the mother of all phoenixes—coming across what was left of her nest. She could feel the incomparable grief that the mother felt for the loss of her unborn chicks, the last hope for the phoenixes; her heart could barely take it.

But then Fluttershy felt the sheer rage that the mother felt. She knew who was responsible for her grief, who had taken the last of her children from her from out of her very nest. The mother's anger erupted like a volcano, and in her rage she became what she was now, fueled by hate, and rage, and grief.

The dragons' nests were in the mountains to the east. She flew there on wings of fire and lava, destroying fields of green below her with her mere presence alone. The skies were darkened with smoke. She found the dragons in their mountain caves, and she unleashed her inferno upon them. Even their heat-resistant scales were nothing before the phoenix's wrath.

It took her less than an hour to hunt down and destroy each and every single dragon alive.

The rest of the north soon followed. The mother of all phoenixes was too angry to care about anything in her path; her clutch was gone, she'd long since lost her mate, and now she was the only bird of her kind left. Everything burned until there was nothing left in her wake; if she was destined to be alone, then she would be alone.

When she was done, she returned to her nest in the heart of the largest volcano, and there she wept, curling up upon herself until the pain of grief and anguish stopped and she turned to stone.

Fluttershy gasped as she drew herself out of the mother phoenix's memories. "Oh dear, that's… that's terrible…" she breathed, setting both hooves on the avian's beak. "I'm so sorry…"

The phoenix stared at her some more and made another low trill with her throat, but otherwise didn't make any movements, hostile or otherwise. Fluttershy noticed that the flames and lava across the phoenix's body were slowly dimming, as though she were letting the rain do its work.

"I know that you're in pain because of your loss," Fluttershy said, stroking the phoenix's beak. "And I want to help you. I know that nothing I say is going to bring your children back to you, but I just want you to know that you're not alone in this. You never have to be alone with your grief, okay? I'm here for you, if you'll let me be."

The phoenix hesitated for a moment, then Fluttershy watched as the flames and lava that made up the bird's body died out completely, leaving behind charred-looking flesh that slowly flaked off in the water and winds until healthy feathers and plumage—red, gold, and orange—started to peek through.

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you…"

Rainbow apparently noticed the change in the phoenix's behavior, because the hurricane died down into a pleasant rainfall. Fluttershy could see Havoc and Gray flying over, likely to check on her and make sure things were okay, but she didn't acknowledge them just yet, and they remained quiet.

For now, there would just be peace and comfort.

*****

Rarity knew how to defend herself just fine if some brutish ruffian wanted to attack her for one reason or another, but she had no idea how to defend herself against a phantom spirit that caused instantaneous, agonizing pain on contact. She was no expert, but she'd taken her fair share of martial arts classes over the years; however, hoof strikes and kicks seemed ill-advised in this context.

So she strained herself to her limit trying to do several magical things at once: a large portion of her magic was being channeled into Pandemonia to help empower the alicorn's cleansing spell; a fair portion of her magic was also flowing into Zyra to enhance her combat skills and empower the light of her runic blade; the rest of her magic was being used to defend herself from the phantoms that Zyra couldn't reach or react to, though Rarity's magical blasts weren't nearly as effective as Zyra's sword.

All-in-all, it was quite stressful.

"I don't know how much longer I can take this…" Rarity breathed, staggering back and collapsing onto her rear. "This is too much. It's too much for me…"

"Hold strong, my friend," Pandemonia murmured, her eyes still closed in focus. "It will not be much longer now. I can feel it; Nihila's expenditure of the Beacon's energy is weakening her control over it. Just hold strong, and we will be victorious."

Zyra leapt over to banish another phantasm that was making right for Rarity. "Don't worry, My Lady Rarity! Stay strong! I— ahh!" Another phantasm had struck her in the back; Zyra collapsed at Rarity's side, clearly in severe pain and barely moving.

"Zyra? Zyra, darling, can you hear me?"

Zyra groaned in response and struggled to reach for her sword, but couldn't quite get there. She looked like she could barely even keep her eyes open.

Rarity let out a few tired breaths, then groaned and rose back to her hooves before blasting another phantom before it could reach Zyra. "Come on, Rarity, you can do this…" she mumbled to herself, pumping more magic into her horn; she was more than just woozy now, she was exhausted.

Come on Rarity… you can do this. You can do this. You have the strength inside you. Come on. Think of everyone who's relying on you to make this work.

She blasted another phantom that was screeching towards her.

This isn't just for you anymore. This isn't for Zyra or for Pandemonia. All of your friends down below are relying on you to stay strong.

A spirit snuck up behind her and impacted the back of her leg. She howled in pain and fell forward to her knees. She was so tired; she just wanted to rest her eyes.

Come on, Rarity, stand up. Stand up and stay strong. Everypony in this city is relying on you to stay strong. Everyone in Hope's Point is relying on you to stay strong. Your friends and family back home are relying on you to stay strong!

She clenched her teeth and blasted another phantom, and another, and another, that were all making their way towards Pandemonia. It hurt just to breathe; it hurt just to think.

Stay strong, Rarity! For Lockwood! For Blackburn! For your foal! You can do this, Rarity! Stay! Strong!

Rarity let out a frustrated scream and pumped every last bit of magic she had left into Pandemonia's spell. The act of doing so left her weak, and she stumbled sideways and tripped over Zyra in the process. She could hardly breathe anymore; everything just hurt so much.

She watched as several phantoms swirled through the air together, then came rushing towards her. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable.

Only for the sound of screaming in the air to suddenly evaporate.

Rarity opened her eyes and glanced about; there were no more spirits in the air around the rooftop. "What happened? Where—" She turned towards Pandemonia, and her eyes lit up with relief and awe. "Oh my. We… we did it. We did it!"

The light of the Beacon had changed utterly from orange to purple; Pandemonia had taken control of it. With one more burst of light from the alicorn's horn, the Beacon's light then disappeared entirely. The sky above was clear as Rarity had ever seen it, beautiful and dark and dotted with stars, with the light of Equestria's two moons illuminating everything around them.

"Now it is up to Twilight's team and my sister to finish this," Pandemonia said, sounding thoroughly exhausted herself. "The fate of our worlds are in their hooves now…"

*****

Dawn slowly opened her eyes, honestly surprised that she could even do so. It was dark, wherever she was at the moment, which seemed like some sort of terribly small cave. The only light source was the flickering glow of a unicorn's horn. Not hers, of course—she'd know if it was—but from somepony standing over her. The outfit looked familiar. Turtleneck sweater, scarf, beret… was it Winter Glow? What was she doing here?

Then, Winter's horn glow petered out and she slumped forward, barely conscious, against the wall of rock. Dawn could hear the shifting of rock above them; the whole tunnel was going to come down very soon. "Winter?" Dawn grunted, struggling to get to her hooves. "Are you alright?"

Winter groaned; she was definitely not alright, Dawn could tell right away. "No, but… this was… the only… way…" She sucked in several breaths. "Get us… out of… here…"

Dawn took a few breaths as she tried to recover her own strength. She couldn't feel anything in her left foreleg at all and her entire body ached like nothing else she'd ever experienced before. But she fought through it and dragged herself over and on top of Winter, then lit up her horn and focused on the one space nearby that she felt would be safe.

The cultist hideout along the side of the volcano was thankfully still intact despite the fact that an entire side of the mountain was now gone; when that had happened, Dawn had no idea. She had not accounted for the possibility that anything would have happened to it, but she was glad to have been right; she was always glad to be right, of course, but this was a significant moment of triumph.

She was able to breathe a bit better now that she and Winter were in open air instead of buried under rock, and with just a little effort she was able to expand the building's heat shield to protect her small, prone comrade. She pushed herself off of Winter and up onto her hooves, though she still couldn't feel one of them, but it was better than the alternative.

"What happened, Winter?" Dawn asked, ignoring the searing pain in her skull and her leg. "Where's Nihila? Where's Twilight?"

Winter groaned, but didn't get up. She just weakly pointed her hoof off to the south.

There, Dawn could see flashes of clashing lights, as well as… was that orange light the same as the Beacon? She didn't need Winter to tell her what was happening, though. "Twilight is battling Nihila, then. Alright, I suppose that naturally follows considering our circumstances…" She paused, then looked back at Winter. "What are our circumstances? What happened, exactly?"

Winter groaned and shook her head. "Doesn't… matter. Just… shoot the bitch…" She then groaned again and slumped back down.

She was obviously in no condition to answer any other questions at the moment, and Dawn knew better than to press. She wasn't particularly skilled with healing magics, but she did know what a ley line fracture's symptoms were. Winter was likely suffering from one right now, which, considering she'd used a barrier to defend against several tons of rock crushing down on her, was a worthwhile trade-off.

She'd have to ask later what had happened. For now, all that mattered was helping Twilight however she could. One little blast wasn't going to cut it; she needed to hit Nihila with everything she had in one big burst.

She closed her eyes and charged her magic through her horn, taking deep, careful breaths as she pushed herself to generate more, and more, and more power, more than she'd ever expended in a single attack in her entire life. She could feel the energy crackling around her; tendrils of black lightning licked the frame of the building.

But she didn't stop. She just exerted more magic into her horn, and more, and more. She clenched her teeth so hard she was worried they might crack under the pressure; her entire body felt like it was on fire.

And then... it was all too much, and she felt herself grow weak; her body couldn't keep up with the strain. The magical energies flowing through her flickered and sputtered, falling from a mighty, roaring tempest of power to a mewling, whimpering spray of sparks. "I... am not strong enough..." Dawn muttered as she fell to her knees.

"Come now, my dear," came her father's voice in her head. "Is that any way for this all to end? A whimper and a cry, rather than a mighty scream of defiance?"

"F-Father?" Dawn blurted. She shook her head. "I am... sorry. In my hubris, I believed I was capable of withstanding Nihila's might. I have failed you—"

Silvertongue's voice was stern. "Dawn."

"Y-yes?"

"You have heard Nihila's plan, have you not? She wishes to take Twilight Sparkle—your friend—and do to her what she did to Pandemonia. She plans to use her as a weapon to destroy Twilight's world, and more than that, every other world she comes across. With the power she will possess, she can even bring war to the Chronomancers. Every world across all of reality will be in danger.

"And before all that, she will use Twilight's power to destroy thisworld. She will destroy everything you and our family have worked towards. She will destroy your home. She will destroy your new friends and your old ones. She will destroy your sisters. She will destroy me. But first... she will destroy you."

"I... I know, father."

"Then what are you waiting for? Are you not Golden Dawn, the most powerful unicorn who ever lived? Are you not my daughter, my progeny, my Warden? Do not tell me that you lack the strength, my dear, for that would be a bold-faced lie. I would not believe in you so strongly if you were lacking in power and will."

Dawn felt her internal magical energies rise tremendously, as though given new life.

"I am proud of all that you have accomplished, Dawn. There is only one thing left for you to do: ensure that Nihila never threatens our world—any world—ever again. And no matter what happens... remember that I will be with you every step of the way."

With a firm planting of her good hooves, Dawn grit her teeth and let out a mighty shout as she let her magic flow through her again, more than ever before. The entire foundation of the volcano shook in terror. She was the most powerful unicorn alive, and it was time that she proved it, to herself, to Nihila, to the world.

And as the last few drops of magical energy she had entered into the tip of her horn, she took aim…

*****

Nihila could not decide if she should be ecstatic or aggravated by her current circumstances. Twilight Sparkle was everything that she'd ever wanted in a host: powerful beyond reason, simple and elegant in form, and in possession of a trustworthy face that would allow Nihila to begin her conquest of other worlds with ease. Her ranks would swell with downtrodden fools looking to serve her in hopes of salvation.

But at the same time, that power was so great that even though Nihila was fighting with the most power that she could possibly wield in her natural form and was draining the energy from the northern Beacon, Twilight Sparkle still managed to resist her. Every blow she dealt to her foe was met with one upon her in turn, and Nihila knew that if she didn't drain more from the Beacon to counteract it, she'd never overpower her opponent.

Which meant that she needed to hurry before that accursed former host of hers finished her work; once Nihila had Twilight Sparkle in her possession, nothing would stand in her way now, or ever again.

"Cease this pitiful resistance, Twilight Sparkle!" she snapped as she blasted the opposing alicorn away and into the side of a volcano. "Submit to me now and I might just spare some of your pathetic companions. Once I have control over your body and soul, I will form an army the likes of which no one has ever seen before; it will conquer endless worlds! Some of your comrades might just have a purpose within my ranks."

Twilight Sparkle climbed out of the rocky debris she'd been left in, still looking none the worse for wear. "You keep talking to me as if I'm listening to anything you have to say."

"Do not be so foolish as to think you can continue fighting me forever. I can feel you already growing weary. You might be an alicorn of incomparable might, Twilight Sparkle, but you still possess pathetic mortal limitations. Thankfully, I do not, nor will you once you serve as my vessel."

"Let me guess: this is my last chance before you unleash everything you have and defeat me at last? You're the pathetic one, Nihila. You have no power of your own. You can only take from others what doesn't belong to you. You are a parasite. A disgusting, wretched little parasite."

Nihila flared her wings. "You dare to mock me? Very well, then! Once I am finished with you and have made you my vessel, I will destroy your pathetic realm and everyone who lives there! Friends! Family! Everything will bur—"

She stopped speaking suddenly as she felt herself grow immensely weaker; the orange glow of her Beacon was gone. "What?! No! How could they have purified it already?! My pawns should have stopped them!"

Twilight Sparkle tilted her head. "What's the matter, Nihila? Did you lose something?" Her tone was still flat and angry; there was no mirth there.

Nihila made to retort, but then she found her eyes drawn north; there was a light there, off in the distance, somewhere high up on the central volcano. She could feel a familiar energy radiating from it, that of the insolent whelp who called herself a daughter of the treacherous snake.

"Impossible…"

Twilight Sparkle noticed it too; her eyes widened in wonder and relief. "Dawn… she's alive… she's alive!"

"Impossible! Your pathetic comrade is dead!" Nihila snapped at Twilight Sparkle, igniting her horn with furious fire. "Allow me to prove it!"

Nihila fired a blast of energy towards the light, and was surprised when her blast was overwhelmed by a massive energy beam. She barely reacted in time to ignite her horn again to resist the blast just inches in front of her face, holding back the surge of immense power like a tidal wave. This was impossible; the worthless spawn could not have this much power still left in her!

Nihila's eyes were drawn to the side, where Twilight Sparkle had also ignited her horn; her eyes widened when Twilight fired a burst of her own magic, not at Nihila herself, but at the energy blast that Nihila was holding in place. There was no avoiding—

The resulting explosion was magnificent; there was so much destructive power contained within it that it leveled the entire range of volcanoes for a mile around. Lava and rock poured down into the resulting crater; smoke and ash filled the air. And in the center of it all, Nihila came crashing down to the volcanic rock below.

She had never felt such agony before; her entire being was screaming out in… pain. She had little time and few options; she could sense Twilight Sparkle coming to finish the job, and she could not allow that.

Her first thought was to reach out and take control of the Calamity. She attempted to do so, knowing the distance would make that difficult, but then there was something more at work preventing her from doing so: the Calamity's rage had dissipated. How? Impossible; the Calamity was rage and grief made manifest; how had it's fury been soothed?

A bitter thought came to mind: she should not have adjusted her scheme so utterly. She should have taken the Calamity as her host and used its power to lay waste to everything herself, then taken Twilight Sparkle for herself. Now she was only left with one option:

She needed to escape back into the Void, now. With what little energy she had left, Nihila began to tear open a rift in the fabric of the world, a gateway to safety. It would take thousands of years to recover her strength enough to find another world with another lost, foolish soul whom she could manipulate into inviting her, but—

Then, she stopped when the most curious thing happened. Everything around her went suddenly very, very dark, except for her immediate surroundings, which were filled with an agonizing bright light. No, not just light, but Light, the most potent source of the stuff she'd experienced in untold eons.

She glanced up, and a new emotion rippled through her that she had never experienced for herself: fear. The entire sky was as black as the darkest night, with the exception of Equestria's moons. Those were of the purest white, glowing with such intense energy that it burned. It burned like nothing Nihila had ever felt before.

She frantically tried to tear open the rift, but even putting in the slightest ounce of effort caused her tremendous agony. No! I must… I must escape! I must… escape… the Light! What is this Light?!

"Never shalt thou plague a world with thy presence, Nihila," came a voice that Nihila hadn't heard in hundreds of years: Harmonia. "Thou art a blight upon harmony, upon peace, upon life, upon the essence of my sister, fiend. 'Tis my duty to cleanse existence itself of thee and thy poison. Begone, monster!"

Nihila screeched as the Light intensified. "No! No! I… am Nihila! Darkness incarnate! And I will not… be—"

And then there was nothing.

Chapter Thirty-One: Restoration

Dawn awoke with a start. A quick glance around told her that she was in an unfamiliar place, though with some familiar aspects. It was an endless void of color, in this case a field of the most brilliant golds and the most luscious silvers that Dawn had ever seen, mixed together in a swirling, churning, almost liquidy material.

She rose to her hooves without the slightest effort or even the tiniest hint of pain, then glanced about some more to try and get her bearings, which she found quite impossible in this endless void.

"You've done well, my dearest daughter," came her father's voice from behind her.

She turned to him, surprised. "Father? But, if you are present, then… is this the Dreaming?"

He nodded and stepped towards her. "Indeed it is, in its true, wondrous appearance, at least insofar as your mind is rationalizing it to you."

"But… I thought the Dreaming was an empty void? That is how it always has appeared to me in our past conversations."

"That would be a similar rationalization of the place, though one of your choosing. Now, however, there are not only other elements in play here, but you entered the Dreaming involuntarily, so your mind did not have time to visualize it to your liking, so to speak."

She gulped. "Involuntarily entered, you say…"

He tilted his head and gave her a small grin. "Worry not, Dawn. You've not left the mortal coil just yet, though you were very close to it at some points. Though I suppose that is to be expected when one battles with Nihila in the capacity that you did. You should be proud of yourself for standing against her so bravely."

"I feel less brave than I do foolish," she muttered, unable to meet his eyes. "My contributions to the battle seemed more of a hindrance than an aid. Nihila resisted me at every turn, and did so effortlessly. I was nothing before her, Father."

"Hmm. Well, why it may be that you were unable to defeat her yourself, I wouldn't say that you contributed nothing to the fight. Ultimately, I feel that Twilight Sparkle would not have been able to defeat Nihila without your involvement. Her power is tremendous, true, but she lacks the conviction to use that power to its fullest.

"She is afraid of herself, I feel. Afraid of the power that she is capable of, afraid of what she can do with it, or rather, afraid of what might happen if she were to ever lose control. I understand her fear, of course; it is only natural to be afraid of oneself when one gains so much power so quickly, has it thrust upon them without their consent."

Dawn considered this a moment, then nodded. "It is my understanding that she never desired the power that she has, or the leadership position that she now holds. Still, I—"

Her father interrupted her by stepping forward again and wrapping her up in an impossibly warm, tender hug. "Don't disparage yourself for your perceived shortcomings, my dear. Everyone involved in this plot of ours played their role, yourself included. I am proud of what you've accomplished here today, and of what you've accomplished over years of effort; this plan would not have worked if not for the groundwork that you have provided."

Dawn felt her heart swelling with such joy and pride that she was afraid it might burst. "Father… thank you," she breathed as she melted into the hug. "Thank you…" She sniffed back tears. "I was afraid, Father. I was afraid that I had failed you, failed everyone."

"There is nothing to be afraid of anymore, Dawn. Nihila is no more, and this world is forever free of her influence."

Dawn nodded, then pulled away from the hug slightly to look around some more. "Father, the Dreaming… I never imagined that it would be so beautiful. Is this truly how it looks in its natural state?"

"Again, it is just how your mortal senses comprehend it. I couldn't possibly give you a proper description that would do it justice." He looked incredibly sad as he said this, looking up into the void. "Though I know not what will become of this place, or of me and Harmonia when our world combines with Twilight's. Their world lacks a realm like this, you see."

"I am certain that we will devise some solution to the problem, Father," Dawn said firmly. "I will not lose you, no matter what it takes."

He gave her a little smile and ran his hoof through her mane. "You do not need to fear for me. I have lived a good life many times over, and I have earned an eternal rest should that be what comes to pass. But you will never be alone, my dear. Remember that."

Dawn sniffed again, then nodded. "I will, Father." She paused. "I love you."

"And I love you. You are a good daughter, Dawn, one who any father would be proud to call his own. No matter what happens with me, with the Dreaming, know I will always be with you."

*****

Dawn woke up slowly, her head throbbing and her body weary. Her left forelimb was entirely numb, though she could at least feel a little sensation in the other three. Wherever she was, the temperature wasn't all that bad; in fact, it was pleasantly cool and comfortable, as was whatever surface she was resting on at the moment. Was there a pillow under her head? The light above her wasn't unbearably bright, but it was taking a moment to get used to.

When she finally managed to get her eyes back in order and could see almost properly—she didn't have her glasses—she realized that she was in a room. A medical room, it looked like; in fact, one of the medical care rooms at Pandora Tower. She'd only ever been in one of these rooms a few times, just for routine physicals and nothing more. Based on the layout of the room Dawn was fairly certain that this room was where Nurse Soft Touch had first discovered Dawn's vision problems.

She wasn't alone, though, because when she turned her head, she noticed that all of her sisters were present, though they were all in the midst of conversations amongst each other at the moment. It was Curaçao who noticed her first, as her eldest sister was always the most observant between the six of them, and drew the attention of the others over to her. Dawn was worried that it would suddenly get quite loud in here, but thankfully, everypony kept relatively quiet.

"How're you feeling?" Curaçao asked, pulling up a chair to sit closest to Dawn's bed.

"Like I just finished fighting against an immortal goddess of death and darkness," was Dawn's simple reply. She glanced down the bed and noticed that her left foreleg was wrapped up in a tremendous amount of gause and hoisted up so that she couldn't move it. "I must assume that I sustained some injuries in the engagement. How did I come to arrive here?"

"Twilight found you and Winter and brought you guys here immediately afterwards," Gray said with a nod. She gestured with her wing towards the door. "They're in the room right across from yours, just the two of them. Winter got banged up pretty badly, worse than you did."

"Is she well now?"

Curaçao nodded. "She's experienced a ley line fracture, but is otherwise unhurt. C'est chanceux."

"And Twilight?"

"Healthier than I've ever seen her."

"You want me to go get Twilight for ya?" Velvet offered. "She was pretty worried about the both of you, but she can't be in two places at once."

Dawn shook her head with as much vigor as she could manage, which wasn't a lot. "No, that will not be necessary. I will converse with Twilight at a more convenient time. A significant amount of planning lies ahead of us if we are to continue forward with this 'world merger'." She gave her sisters a weak smile. "I assume that since we are having this conversation at the moment, that our strategy was a success?"

Havoc thumped her hoof to her chest. "Hell yeah! We got everything all taken care of on our end, and then some!"

"'And then some'?"

"Oh, right, you probably have no idea. So, uh, this giant phoenix bird thing flew towards the city and started doing some damage in the western Outer District and stuff, but Gray, Dash, and I helped Fluttershy calm the thing down so that it'd stop wrecking shit! It was dope! Guess the four of us can add 'Savior of New Pandemonium' to our business cards."

Dawn blinked, considering Havoc's claims, then nodded. "Nihila claimed that she unleashed some sort of 'Calamity' upon us. I must assume that this 'phoenix' was the Calamity of which she spoke. Did it inflict much damage?"

"Er… yeah, it burned down a huge chunk of the west slums. We don't have any estimates on the damages or how many casualties there were yet, but I don't imagine it was good. That fucker was big, let me tell ya."

"Hmm. Well done, in that case; Nihila was quite adamant that the Calamity would destroy everything, including—"

She paused, eyes wide, then looked to her sisters in a panic. "The fleets! What happened to the fleets?!"

Havoc set her hoof on Dawn's shoulder gently. "Easy, sis, easy. You're not in any shape to get all riled up, yeah? I should know. I've been where you're sitting."

"I have received some updates in the past hour regarding that, actually," Curaçao said with a sad smile. "Admiral Jetstream is alive and uninjured, but the entire fleet that he brought with him was destroyed. The Dragon-class is barely even salvageable. Thankfully he only brought AMP units to operate the ships, so we suffered no lives lost.

"As for the Hope's Point fleet, my most recent report indicates that only four ships out of the original thirty made it home, though some crews managed to jettison escape pods. They gave everything they could to keep the phoenix from reaching the city limits, and only retreated when it was clear that there was nothing more that they could do; Jetstream himself demanded that they fall back."

"Only four ships…" Dawn breathed, resting her head back and staring up at the ceiling. "Please tell me that Blackburn was among the survivors."

Curaçao nodded. "She was."

"Good. Did Twilight inform you or her about the kirin that we rescued?"

"She did, and I have passed the information along to Her Majesty already. I'll know more later, once we reestablish our communication network. Outgoing and incoming messages are still a little finicky due to the attack on the tower."

Dawn let out a breath and glanced at her hoisted forelimb. "I do not suppose you have been made aware of my condition to the fullest extent possible?"

Curaçao nodded again. "Soft Touch gave me the results of her examination. I can tell you now, if you want—"

"No, that will not be necessary either, I was just curious. I do not anticipate a pleasant reading, but am hopeful for the results of her prognosis." Dawn gave her sisters a small smile. "I am just glad to be here with all of you at the moment. That is all that matters: Nihila has been defeated, and now we can be a family."

Dawn wasn't really expecting much of anything to happen after that, but least of all, she wasn't expecting her sisters to gather around her medical bed and lean in to give her a very awkwardly-positioned group hug. But it didn't matter to her how unexpected it was, or how awkwardly they all had to stand so that they could position themselves, or even how it was just a little uncomfortable.

What mattered was exactly what she said mattered most: she was here with her family, all as one.

*****

Hourglass had known Winter for a very long time. She'd seen her friend and mentor do all sorts of crazy things to get a job done, even when she sometimes got hurt in the process. But she had never seen Winter get injured enough that she needed actual medical care from a professional, no sir, not once, not ever. Just a bottle of bourbon or whiskey and a good night's sleep was all Winter would ever take.

So, seeing Winter resting in a medical bed here in Pandora Tower was quite weird indeed. But it was far from the weirdest thing that had happened in the span of the past five minutes or so. She'd just arrived here to see Winter after hearing that she was back at the tower, and while it was already strange to get called to the medical floor to see her, it was even stranger seeing her company.

Not that Twilight being here with Winter was strange in and of itself, of course; the two were in love and practically joined at the hip now that they'd patched things up. What was weird was how Twilight looked. Was she taller? She looked taller. Hourglass couldn't help but think about how awkward Winter must feel now that her fillyfriend was nearly as tall as Pandemonia was while Winter was still barely taller than Hourglass.

Also, Twilight's mane was a lot longer now than it had been a couple of hours ago, her tail too, and they both flowed behind her in an unseen wind, billowing like grand capes. Hourglass was rather reminded of how the sky looked in the twilight hours. There were even little sparkles in there, like stars. It was astonishingly appropriate given the other mare's name, actually.

The next strange thing that came about, after the three mares briefly discussed what had happened in the volcano and Winter's condition—a ley line fracture! How terrible—was when Winter asked Twilight to give her and Hourglass a minute—a few minutes, truthfully—alone. Twilight didn't hesitate to give them that time, and Winter didn't waste any time in getting straight to the point:

"I need you to take this," Winter said, passing over her Timekeeper to Hourglass, "back to the TARDIS at home as soon as possible."

She was clearly tired, exhausted even, but was already recovering well thanks to Twilight; it was just an acceleration of the natural healing process, but that was better than nothing at all. And sure, it meant that Winter would be dealing with a lot of the discomfort and pain more rapidly than spread out over several days or longer, but she didn't seem to care.

"Sure thing," Hourglass replied, taking the little pocket watch and setting it in her pocket, right next to the gift that Sunspire had given her. "What am I doing with it?"

"Send a call to HQ using the emergency channel and put in a request for Old Timer and Doctor Likita to take a look at the data. They'll give this case priority since they've been waitin' for an update. I recorded all of the data I could over the past few weeks, and a heaping helpin' of data from the past few hours, so it oughta give 'em a bit of work to do."

"How'd you manage to get any relevant data while you were fighting with Nihila?" Hourglass asked. "Or while recovering from a ley line fracture?"

"Had to use Operation Zero protocols to make sure this all worked out after I heard the things Nihila said."

Hourglass's eyes widened, shocked. "You bloody— What?! Winter, Operation Zero is restricted—"

"Don't quote protocol with me, squirt," Winter grunted. "I know the rules, and once Old Timer and Doctor Likita overview the case file they'll find that I was completely in the right on this one. Just get that data to them so that they can start puttin' together the world merger procedures. We need to know their solutions before these two worlds can start plannin' their new future."

"Okay, if you say so. Could I ask… what was Nihila that made Operation Zero okay to use? Because I was with you at the ruins of Athenos, and I didn't hear anything about her that made her seem that dangerous."

Winter sighed. "She pretty much flat-out admitted that her intentions weren't to rule any one world or even to just take advantage of her knowledge of Twilight's world so that she could conquer that one. Conquerin' shit isn't her thing; she was only concerned with destroyin', and she said she's destroyed other worlds in the past and wanted to destroy more. I don't know if she knew about Equestria Prime or not, but it's not relevant.

"I don't know what she was in the end, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that she's been destroyed for good thanks to everyone's work here. She won't be a threat to the world merger anymore, or to any other world for that matter. That good enough for ya?"

Hourglass nodded. "Yeah, that'll do. What about you in the meantime? Anything I can do for you?"

"Nah, you're doin' just fine kid. Just get that data to HQ so that we can all put this whole fuckin' mess behind us. You and I gotta have a long conversation after that's all said and done, eh?"

Hourglass patted the watch on her chest. "Righto then, I'll get right on it." She gave Winter a little friendly salute and a smile, then turned and headed out the door, tilting her head to Twilight as she did so. "She's ready for you again, Twilight. And hey, don't let her convince you to let her get out of that bed for any reason."

Twilight smiled and nodded back. "I won't. I know Winter could probably convince me of a lot of things, but letting her walk around like nothing happened after all of that? No way, not a chance."

*****

Though it took until the following morning, eventually things calmed down enough—relatively-speaking, as the entire northern continent was in a state of chaos and panic—that Rarity was able to make contact with Hope's Point. It was amazing what the two cities could do when they worked together, and she hoped that this was a sign of the future between them.

She'd never used one of these odd "video calls" before, but she'd heard from Havoc and her sisters that they worked spectacularly… when you were chatting with somepony here in the city. When chatting with somepony on the other side of the continent, it was supposedly a little more choppy, but still doable; it would never compare to the real thing, however, but that was okay.

Rarity's heart swelled with relief when she saw Blackburn and Lockwood's faces on the other end of the call. Though their motions were slightly stilted because of the call quality, she could still tell that Blackburn was healthy and uninjured, just like Curaçao had said was the case. She gave the other two thirds of her ménage à trois an excitable wave; they gave her the same, after a slight delay.

"Oh thank goodness you two are alright," she said, putting her hoof over her heart. "You haven't any idea how anxious I've been. I couldn't sleep a wink!" She fluffed her mane just slightly. "I'll have you know that if I start developing any stress wrinkles, it's your fault."

"We're just as glad to hear that you're safe and sound too, Rarity," Lockwood said with a grin. "And you don't need to tell me of all ponies what it was like to worry. Both of my favorite mares were out there putting their lives on the line while I was sitting cushy here at home."

"And you shouldn't feel ashamed of that, love," Rarity replied. "Considering what I saw and what I heard from the others, you'd have been more of a liability than a help. No offense."

His grin became a winning smile. "Ha! None taken. I know that I'm useless when it comes to conflicts like that. I don't have it in me to get violent with anypony."

"Have tried teaching self-defense," Blackburn quipped, grinning at him and shaking her head. "Would be more useful to have guard puppy; guard dogs common in southern households, even noble ones. Lockwood more 'puppy' than dog, though."

Rarity giggled. "Well, as long as he stays safe when the going gets tough, I don't mind if he is a puppy. Because he's our puppy. So, I hear that Twilight sent some new 'guests' your way?"

"Oh, the kirins?" Lockwood asked. "Yeah, we're getting that all situated right now, actually. You called us just as I was heading to speak formally with their leader about further arrangements and such and what they want to do. She's young, but I think she's got it in her to be a good leader for her people."

Rarity let out another sigh of relief, turning her attention to Blackburn. "Blackburn, sweetheart, you're certain that you're alright? Completely alright? No injuries at all, no… complications?"

Blackburn shook her head, though she did look rather sad. "No, none. Stress issues, mostly. Not just from battle, but from results; have funeral arrangements to make for those lost. You are the same? Stressed, but healthy?"

"Oh yes, quite so. The nurse here in the tower, Soft Touch, is a wonderful sort. She's been awfully busy, but she did a quick little check-up on me after all the fighting was over and gave me a clean bill of health. She did say that it's tough to tell if there were any potential issues with… with my foal and all, but she's confident, so I'm confident."

"Hmm." Blackburn nodded. "Will accept this, also offer medical services here for second opinion. Just to be sure."

Rarity smiled again. "You know… speaking of which, I suppose we'll need to start discussing those sorts of things pretty soon, won't we? Living arrangements and things like that? I know we'd already put a few plans in place but I imagine that we'll have to adjust them as we go."

"We will, absolutely," Lockwood said. "But for now, let's just relax and take it easy while we all figure out how this merger's gonna work out. Both of our worlds are going to change entirely, and we don't get too much say or knowledge about how it's going to happen. Just when.

"All that matters is that when it all happens, the three of us will make things work, no matter what that takes. You know that I'd upend the entire world for you, Rarity, and Blackburn would do the same, and I know you'd do it for us too. We're in this together, 'til the end of the road, wherever that takes us."

"Well said, my love," she replied.

*****

Pinkie was in full-on Party Panic Mode!

She'd planned thousands and thousands of parties over the years, that much was a fact. Another fact was that she'd planned parties for several different types of important occasions centered around a certain pony, like birthday parties, foal showers, and housewarming parties. Yet another fact is that she'd even planned parties celebrating the achievements of a group of ponies, like hoofball team pizza parties, family get-togethers, and Hearth's Warming parties.

But how did one set up a party that was implicitly designed for celebrating an important event in a single pony's life—a cuteceñara in this case—for over thirty such ponies that had all achieved it at the same time?

Because that was the predicament that Pinkie was now in. Okay, sure, she had her Best-Friend-Who-Was-Actually-Her-Clone helping her, and she was a big help, but the predicament of trying to plan a cuteceñara for all of the Shadows was proving difficult. They'd all gotten their Cutie Marks at the exact same time, according to Hourglass: the exact instant that the Beacon had been deactivated. Nopony knew why, but it was wonderful!

And terrible, because again, Pinkie needed to somehow plan out a cuteceñara for all of them.

"The way I figure it, there are two solutions here," Pinkie said as she looked over her Party Planner Notebook with Velvet. "Solution one: we celebrate each one of their cuteceñaras separately at a rate of one per day, since a cuteceñara is supposed to be a Pretty Big Deal in a little pony's life. Orrr, solution two: we hold one big party for all of them at the same time and essentially just celebrate them all at once!"

Velvet tapped her chin. "Both plans have their pros and cons, of course. This is complicated! But it's also important! I want my kids to all feel special, but this needs to be done just right or it's gonna suck!"

"Right." Pinkie scratched her noggin with her pencil. "Now, the benefit to the first solution is that every little colt or filly gets to feel like the day is their special day. However! The ponies who go at the end of the line are gonna feel baaaaad. And everypony's gonna be sick of parties every day—as impossible as that sounds!—by like the seventh or eighth one in a row."

"We could spread them out more? Skip a day or two in between?"

"That'll just make the colts and fillies towards the end feel even worse. If we did one, say, once a week, whoever's last would have to wait almost a whole year! Uh-uh, no can do, Red."

Velvet nodded sagely. "True, true."

"But then, if we just do it all in one day, how are all of those little colts and fillies gonna feel special? A cuteceñara is supposed to be a big, big, BIG event in a young pony's life, a coming of age thing that only happens once. It's a special day just for them! But if we're doing all of them at once, then we can't give them the attention that a cuteceñara is supposed to have!"

"Well, what if we combine the two?"

"Huh?"

"Combine the two together. We'll celebrate the cuteceñaras all in one day, and we'll make it a big all-day thing. I figure if we wait until after the merger, we can rent out a huge space like a… a park or something." Velvet's eyes widened and she nodded enthusiastically to herself. "Yeah! We can rent out a park, and we can get things like a bouncy castle and a barbeque and a water slide—"

Pinkie held up her hoof. "Yeah yeah yeah, I get all that stuff. That's the actual planning part, that's easy. Get to the whole 'combination' thing."

"Right, right. So, we do it all in one day, and we make, like, each half-hour feel like it's own little mini cuteceñara! If we do them in half-hour chunks, then we'll be able to get through all of the kids if we start right when they wake up—nice and early, of course—until it's time to send them to sleep—later than usual, of course."

Pinkie hummed and nodded. "Hmm, that might work. No no, I can definitely make that work. And each colt or filly will get their own theme with the music and the snacks and food and drinks available—" She paused. "No, no, that won't work. We'd have to offer different food and drinks for each kid, and if they're constantly changing around, eventually they're gonna get sick."

"Ah… yeah, okay, I didn't think of that…" Velvet shook her head. "Well, who says we have to do a traditional cuteceñara? What if we just do a big ol' party for them like a… a graduation party?"

"Hmm. Yeah, we could do that. I'm worried that it'll take away from the experience, is all. This kind of party is supposed to be a Big Deal."

Velvet set her hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Pinks, listen, these kids have lived their whole lives together. They eat together, play together, learn together, and when they get older, I have no doubt that they'll probably hook up together to—responsibly, of course. They're a unit, a team. Celebrating them getting their Cutie Marks together just seems… right. Y'know?"

Pinkie nodded again. "You're right. Okay! Still, I want to offer as many things for the lil' cuties as I can that they'll enjoy, so, let's get some lists going! I need everypony's favorite snack, favorite food, favorite drink, favorite music, favorite color, favorite everything! This… is gonna be my Best. Party. Ever."

Epilogue: Resolution

Five Years Later…

Canterlot's Royal Palace had such an abundance of rooms that Twilight was still learning that more of them existed years after she'd taken the throne. She'd never explored the entire palace even when she was younger, but nowadays she needed to know where every single room was and what purpose it served just in case she needed it for some unforeseen reason.

This small meeting chamber was one of the rooms she'd not known about until roughly three or four years ago, as for the most part her meetings until that point were all conducted publicly or with the Friendship Council; she had very little need for private meetings, and when she usually partook in them, she could just clear out the throne room and engage in conversation there. As far as she knew, that was how Princess Celestia had always done it.

However, having seen the value of having smaller rooms for such conversations, where one could use a table or other accoutrements to present information, she had to admit that they were worthwhile. There weren't a lot of things that Twilight could realistically learn from Queen Blackburn—they had completely different styles of ruling their respective countries—but this was one thing she'd taken to heart.

At the moment Twilight was seated in a raised chair meant specifically for her; on the opposite side of the table in the only other chair at the moment was Raven Inkwell, her personal assistant; on the table itself were a number of documents that Twilight knew needed overview and signing. The room was otherwise sparsely decorated just to give it a somewhat personable-yet-businesslike atmosphere.

"As you can see, Your Highness," Raven said, gesturing over all of the paperwork, "Hope's Point's trade agreements are rather… robust. I'll be honest, I've looked over a number of trade negotiation documents over the past several years, but I've never seen any as tightly-wound as these."

Twilight hummed and looked over one such document, which was detailing a tremendous amount of detail for the exportation of Hope's Point's technology. Every trade document was expected to have at most a few pages detailing the shipping arrangements necessary for a product or resource, but this document here was seven pages long, and that was just on the safety conditions for storing the product in question, in this case, pressurized air canisters for filling airship balloons.

Hope's Point itself was now situated in what was once the "Undiscovered West" to the west of the nation of Equestria. They'd expanded further west over the past few years and were slowly but surely redeveloping their technological marvels, though from Twilight's understanding, the sudden sharp downgrade in their formerly superior technology was… quite jarring, to say the least.

"Well, to be fair, Hope's Point is the first nation we've ever dealt with that has these sorts of products," Twilight admitted with a small grin. "We don't know all of the particulars for how to transport them, store them, price them, display them, and so on. It's helpful information, even if it is a little… wordy. Not that I mind a little wordiness, of course."

Raven grunted. "Of course. However, after reviewing each and every one of these documents myself, I've come to the conclusion that they're all sound as far as the technical particulars. I'm not sure if I completely understand everything printed here—I'm a secretary, not an engineer—but I didn't see anything wrong.

"Now, while it's not my place to argue it with you, I would like to bring up the pricing arrangements. I think the taxes we're placing on these products are much too low. That's just my personal opinion, of course."

"Which you no doubt formulated after hearing a few members of the court chatting about it," Twilight quipped with a little smirk. At Raven's nervous shrug, she added, "Don't worry, Raven, I understand completely, and I agree to a point. I think that another round of negotiations are in order to ensure that everypony's getting a fair shake here."

"Shall I begin making arrangements for a meeting with Secretary Virtuoso?"

"I think that'd be for the best. I'd like to hammer out these trade negotiations with him before he retires. Preferably in person, if we can? I know that we all like using these fancy new telephones, but they just feel so… impersonal. They seem more appropriate for a short conversation, not a big meeting."

"My sentiments exactly, Your Highness," Raven said with a smile and a nod. "Now, we have a few other details to discuss insofar as—"

"Ahem?" coughed Winter Glow from the doorway.

Twilight smiled and turned to Winter. "Oh, Winter, hello. Let me guess: I'm going over time again?"

Winter nodded. "Yup. You've got a meetin' in the throne room in five minutes and I know ya don't like to keep anypony waitin' if you can help it, and you can definitely help it in this case."

Twilight nodded firmly. "Of course. I think we're all finished up here anyway, right Raven?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Raven said with a nod as she started gathering the documents together. "After your meeting, I have some other documents to bring to your attention regarding negotiations with the Utopian government regarding their oceanic borders. I think they want to expand them a little further northeast."

"Aha. Hmm. Well, I'll discuss it with you later, then, so that we can arrange a meeting. Who's in charge of that for Utopia these days, anyway?"

"Lord Deepwater of Seaside, officially as of last week. His firstborn daughter, Lady Highwater, will be arriving tomorrow morning to begin the discussions in his stead and with his blessings."

The former southern continent of Equestria-V had been molded into an island continent and placed out in the South Luna Sea, though it had kept most of its landmass and terrain features, minus its former south pole. That was its own complicated situation, of course, but what made the arrangement so fascinating was how quickly the nobles of Utopia—as their nation was now officially called—were adapting.

"Excellent, then you and I will go over the details later so that we're prepared for… let's make it a lunch meeting, I think. And while you're at it, Raven, could you inform the castle chef to have some sushi prepared for said meeting? It'll go a long way in impressing her."

"Will do. I'll forward the meeting arrangements to Miss Winter."

Winter cleared her throat and tapped her pocket watch—her perfectly normal, albeit exquisite, pocket watch—with a little bit of annoyance. "Time's tickin', Princess."

"Oh! Right, sorry," Twilight chuckled.

She followed Winter out of the meeting room and down the hall towards the throne room; she'd learned enough about the palace's passages to know that there was a route from this chamber that would take her to the throne room in less than three minutes.

Twilight still had to marvel at the size difference between herself and Winter nowadays. She'd had gone through another growth spurt last year, hopefully the last one she'd ever have to deal with, and now stood as tall as Princess Celestia herself. Considering that Winter was still shorter now than Twilight had been as a unicorn, this put them in rather stark comparison to one another.

Not that Winter seemed to mind. If anything, she enjoyed it, perhaps a little too much.

"What do we have scheduled after this again?" Twilight asked absently as she looked out a nearby window on their way by.

Winter didn't even need to look at any sort of scheduling book: she had the entire thing memorized down to the minute:

"Assumin' that ya take the maximum allotted time for this meetin', you've got a lunch meetin' afterwards with Fancy Pants to discuss arrangements for this years' Grand Galloping Gala, followed by an open audience in the throne room for three hours, then a thirty-minute break to walk the gardens, a short meeting with Ambassador Zultan from Zeb'ra'den, your meeting with Raven regarding the oceanic routes as discussed, then dinner with me, followed by another meeting with Raven over the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. After that, you're free until tomorrow."

"Woof, I've really got a jam-packed day today, don't I?" Twilight muttered. "Is there a reason you and Raven have me working so hard this week?"

"Of course: so that you don't forget your parents' anniversary this weekend. Again."

Twilight balked. "That's this weekend?! How did it sneak up on me so fast?!"

"Because you're always a very busy mare, Twilight, that's why," Winter quipped. "And ya have nopony to blame but yourself for it. You and Spike had a very well-made schedulin' system, I'll admit, but there was always room for improvement. Now, I could have adjusted your schedule so that ya had more free time, but you wanted to get more work done."

"Ugh. Please tell me I'm catching up with everything soon, though?"

"At the rate you're plowin' through things, you'll be all caught up on things by the time the Gala comes around this year. Smooth sailin' from then on it, eh? A lot more time to yourself."

Twilight grinned and hoisted Winter up with her magic and nuzzled Winter's nose with her own; Winter yelped in the process, but only because of the suddenness of it. "And a lot more time for you. Are you sure that you can't adjust a few things so that I have a little more private time with my Royal Timekeeper?"

Winter smirked and tapped her chin. "Wellll, I suppose if I made a little modification to your meetin' with Raven later, we might be able to sneak off for twenty minutes somewhere more private."

"Do it. Make it happen."

"Hooly dooly, Princess, taking advantage of your personal schedule keeper like that? What a scandalous thing to do. What would the nobles say?"

"I don't care," Twilight giggled.

As the two passed through the throne room doors, Twilight's eyes widened with delight; she knew who her meeting was scheduled with, of course, but that didn't make it any less delightful to see her: "Aculeata!" she greeted, stepped forward more quickly as she gently set Winter back down.

Aculeata hasn't changed much over the intervening years, with a few notable exceptions: her mane had grown longer and more luxurious as well as more hair-like in texture and appearance; her mandibles had shrunk tremendously in size to the point that they were hardly noticeable; her tail was slowly shedding its carapace and becoming thinner and more filament-like, and had long since lost its stinger.

"Friend Twilight!" Aculeata greeted back, clearing the distance between her and her friend in less than a second to give Twilight a big, friendly hug; Twilight couldn't help but notice how swollen the changeling queen's abdomen was. "It is so good to see you!"

Twilight smiled and broke the hug apart. "It's good to see you too, Aculeata." She gestured at the queen's swollen belly. "What's all this? You don't usually visit me when you're so far along… ahem, gestating."

Aculeata nodded as well. "Oh yes, but I collected from a donor much earlier on this trip than usual, and I did not want to head back to the hive so soon after leaving." She patted her belly happily. "I will say that it has been a treat to travel in this state, as I cannot hide it even in different forms, and ponies are quite polite and pleasant around an expectant mother.

"So, with that in mind, I decided to do a little exploring before returning home, which was a lovely experience. I think I know where I plan to take my next trip, actually, in keeping with my desire for diversity." She paused and looked about the room. "I don't suppose that Spike will be present during my next trip?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Aculeata, I already told you, Spike is still too young for all that."

"He is of proper breeding age for his species."

"Maybe so, but if you want to… 'collect' from a dragon, the Dragon Lands will be more than accommodating. Besides, Spike is busy in the Crystal Empire at the moment on a very important assignment. Princess Cadance has some concerns about Zeb'ra'den viewing her as a physical aspect of their fertility goddess."

"She needed a foalsitter for Flurry," Winter clarified with a grin.

"Ahh, drat, then I must have just missed him," Aculeata pouted.

"Aculeata…" Twilight warned.

The changeling queen held up her hooves. "Fine, fine, but you know I will likely ask again next time. He is quite the specimen."

"Whatever. Now, where were you actually planning to visit?"

"There is a small town in the western desert called 'Appaloosa'. I found it wonderfully quaint and quiet, and the townsfolk were very friendly, particularly one stallion who greeted me with such high spirits and enthusiasm that I felt welcome immediately. Quite a friendly fellow."

Twilight chuckled. "I'm willing to bet that's Applejack's cousin, Braeburn. He's definitely a spirited pony." She paused, tilting her head. "Are you planning to… y'know…? With him? On your next expedition?"

Aculeata shook her head. "Oh, no. I do not think he and I are compatible. A shame, as he is a lively sort that would surely lend that liveliness to my next clutch, but I refuse to manipulate his tastes in such a way. Something about taking on a stallion's form to coerce him seems… deplorable, I suppose?"

"Ah. But you're still planning on visiting there?"

"Oh yes. The ponies themselves aren't of a particular interest to me, but the buffalo tribes who live nearby are quite intriguing. Adding a donor from their race will help improve my brood's diversity and my own constitution, much as I have collected traits from the native griffins, the kirins of both our worlds, and the native yaks."

Twilight smiled and shook her head. "It still amazes me how different you and your children are from King Thorax and the native changelings. His people don't quite, ah… breed the way you do."

"Yes, I have discussed this with him at length," Aculeata said with a sagely nod. "He and I are quite interested in the differences between him and myself, particularly that I adopt traits from my mates and not only incorporate them into myself, but pass them down to my clutches. Soon, I will have collected from each race of our new world."

Winter eyed the matriarch's swollen belly. "So I don't suppose it was a pony who, er… 'donated' to this one?"

"Ah, no. The father of this clutch was a zebra from up north, in Zeb'ra'den."

"Really? You traveled that far for this trip? 'Cause that's quite a journey by train from Hope's Point."

Zeb'ra'den, incidentally, had been transferred far to the north of Equestria, situated even further north than the Crystal Empire, where it was cold far more often and where the zebras of Zeb'ra'den would feel right at home. Frostburg, the seat of power of House Snow, had somehow transitioned with them and served as a delightful middle ground between the Crystal Empire and Zeb'ra'den, just as it once had between Utopia and Zeb'ra'den.

"Maybe, but it was a fun trip. As for the zebra, once I saw him, I did not need to search any further for a prospective mate. He was a rather large specimen even amongst his own people, so there was no question that he would father a mighty clutch."

"Warlord Ziggurat, no doubt," Twilight noted with a chuckle. She set her hoof on Aculeata's stomach and smiled. "I hope that I can find some time for a proper visit to Hope's Point soon. I'd love to see how your children have been growing up."

"Yeah, particularly that first 'batch'," Winter chortled, giving Twilight a knowing nudge to the side.

"Oh yes, Friend Pewter's children are growing quite well," Aculeata said with a smile and a nod. "He sometimes comes into the city from his station to visit, though I have expressed that he has no obligation to do so. He may have donated to the clutch—"fathered" them in a sense—but he doesn't need to consider himself a parental figure."

"Yeah, well, he's a nice guy like that. Not really the 'love 'em and leave 'em' type, eh?" Winter then suddenly stood at attention and tugged on Twilight's leg. "Oh, we're gonna run late if we keep this going much longer, Princess. That lunch meeting of yours is waiting for you."

"Oh wow, is it that time already? Sheesh, time sure flies, doesn't it?" Twilight turned to Aculeata. "I'm sorry, Aculeata, but duty calls. I bet you're glad that you don't have to deal with all this royal business and stuff despite being a queen and all that."

"I understand, Friend Twilight," Aculeata said with a grin as she shifted form into that of a beautiful pegasus mare with a heavily-pregnant belly. "I will let you return to your duties. I look forward to my next visit!" She gave Twilight a hug, who of course returned it, then took her leave out of the throne room.

As Twilight watched her go, she let out a little sigh and shook her head. "Sometimes I wish that I had it so easy to be a leader of my people as she does these days. No politics, no economics, no legislature, no galas to plan. I know it hasn't always been all sunshine and rainbows with her, but nowadays she's got it pretty nice, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure there are plenty of folks who would love to be in her position," Winter scoffed. "Travel the world, shack up with the best-looking blokes or sheilas you can find, and all of it on somepony else's dime. I could never do what she does, though, not the other half of all that, eh?"

"You mean being responsible for repopulating your entire species?"

"Yeah, that. Yuck." Winter shivered. "Don't get me wrong, the rest of it sounds great, but spending most of the year pregnant sounds like a bloody nightmare. Not my cup of rice, I tell ya. How 'bout you, you think you could do it? I'm picturing it now: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Mother of All Ponies. Heh."

Twilight reddened and turned away, then made for the throne room doors as fast as her hooves could carry her. "I, uh, think it's time I get to that lunch with Fancy Pants, right? Yup! No time to talk now! Gotta go, bye!"

Winter chuckled. "Oh yeah, sure, run away! If ya think I'm gonna forget the question, Princess, you're dead wrong! I'm gettin' an answer out of ya one way or another!"

*****

Below the city of Cloudsdale, there were plenty of hills tall and clear enough that a pony could make themselves a comfortable home if they had the drive and the know-how.

While neither Pinkie Pie nor Rainbow Dash had the know-how needed to make a house for themselves, they did have the know-how to find somepony who did, and that somepony had done a terrific job of putting together a cozy, comfortable cabin on top of the highest hill beneath the pegasus city, more than big enough for two.

Pinkie set out late that morning from her and Rainbow's home up to Cloudsdale, as she did every late morning for the past three years; she only missed out on holidays and special occasions, but otherwise she was as reliable as any postpony.

How did she get up to Cloudsdale, you ask? Why, on a hot air balloon, of course! What, you didn't think Pinkie had suddenly learned to fly, did you?

And this was no regular hot air balloon, either, no sir. A plain-and-simple, run-of-the-mill, standard-issue hot air balloon just wouldn't do for Pinkie Pie, not at all, and shame on anypony who thought otherwise. This was a special hot air balloon that she'd commissioned with so many special requests that at this point it was more of a tiny airship than a hot air balloon, but Pinkie preferred to call it a hot air balloon and so that was what it was.

By special, of course, that meant that it was bigger, capable of carrying both herself and a miniature bakery on board without issue. What was a miniature bakery, you ask? Why, it was a bakery just like any other, but smaller, more compact, and all-around less spacious than a normal bakery, hence why it was called a miniature bakery. This deserved clarification, because initially there had been some confusion; the bakery wasn't designed to make miniature versions of treats.

It still could of course, but that's another story.

So, Pinkie and her hot air balloon miniature bakery lifted their way up to Cloudsdale late that morning, just before lunch hours would normally come about for most working-class pegasi. She floated along until she found a keen little spot just outside a busy construction district where pegasi workers were busy using fresh, hard clouds and metal to put together a new addition to the city's skyline: a radio tower.

Off in the distance, she could just make out another new addition to the city: the airport. It exclusively serviced zeppelins and airships, obviously, and right now there was a large airship from Hope's Point docked there, floating along with the help of a dozen or so blimp-like attachments to the side. Cloudsdale was something of a tourist attraction to the pegasi of Hope's Point; a city made of clouds just appealed to their senses.

Just as Pinkie set up shop, just as she finished up her last batch of sweet and savory treats—today's special was hoof-sized apple pies—she heard the telltale steam whistle that indicated the workers were now officially on lunch break. Most of the workers already had routines of their own and several even had their own lunches from home, so very few of them even came over to Pinkie's mobile bakery.

This was despite the advertising board she set up by her stand, which read that she was selling "Hoof-Sized Apple Pies (They're better because they rhyme!)"

But Pinkie wasn't worried. She just glanced at her little watch around her hoof and counted off the seconds until the clock ticked to exactly five minutes past noon. As soon as it did, there was a loud boom in the skies above Cloudsdale, accompanied by a tremendous rainbow-colored ring that could be seen for miles around. Pinkie counted off another few seconds, double-checking that her balloon was well-fastened to the nearest cloudbank that she could.

Rainbow came in like a rocket, screeching to a halt just a few feet away from Pinkie's balloon. The sheer force of her entry knocked away loose cloud fluff in the area and startled dozens of nearby pegasi, who all looked at the sudden arrival in shock and awe. Pinkie could even hear the murmur going through the crowd; some of them were unsure:

"Is that Captain Rainbow of the Wonderbolts?!"

"Wow, what's she doing all the way out here?"

"Outta the way, I wanna get a picture!"

"I want her autograph!"

Rainbow ignored the crowd's clamor behind her, just trotting over nonchalantly to Pinkie's bakery and giving Pinkie a winning smile, like she always did. "Hey good-lookin', what's cookin'?" she asked with a waggle of eyebrows.

"Just some hoof-sized apple pies, Captain Rainbow!" Pinkie replied with a warm smile. "Would you like to try one? They rhyme!"

"Heck yeah! I sure am hungry after a long morning of captaining the world-famous Wonderbolts, let me tell ya." She held out her hoof. "Lay one on me."

Pinkie set one pie into a small paper cup, then passed it over along with a napkin. "Here you go! That'll be one bit, please!"

"One bit?! Holy cow, what a steal!" she exclaimed as she made a big show of passing the bit over. "Ahh, but there's no way that this little sweet treat could possibly be good for only a single bit!"

"Try it and find out!"

Rainbow took a big bite, made all the requisite yummy sounds, licked her lips, then stamped her hoof onto the cloud below her. "Hot dang! That's the best apple pie I've ever had!" She leaned in to whisper, "No really, this pie is bomb, Pinks. What'd you add to it? They're better than the last time you made 'em."

"I got a few bottles of hard cider from AJ in our last delivery," Pinkie whispered back. "Just a little bit in the filling goes a long way."

Rainbow nodded and took another bite, then turned and returned to the show. "Boy, that pie sure did hit the spot! I wish I could stick around, but I've gotta get back to Wonderbolts headquarters and start training all the new recruits. So long, baker mare!"

And off Rainbow went, blasting off into another Sonic Rainboom once she was a safe distance away.

Where before there was only a line of three ponies—they'd all stepped aside to let Rainbow cut to the front of the line—there was now a steadily growing line of five, eight, twelve, twenty, no thirty ponies all waiting to try one of Pinkie's apple pies. It certainly didn't hurt that the sign that Pinkie had put up to advertise them now had an addendum at the top: "Wonderbolts-Approved!"

*****

The Haywaiian Islands were considered one of the most beautiful travel destinations in the world. The warm, tropical climate was perfect all year round; even now, at the beginning of the winter season, it was pleasantly warm and sunny, and in the summer there were perfect ocean breezes to keep it from getting too hot. The white sandy beaches and the clean blue water didn't hurt, either.

The island chain consisted mostly of eight larger islands where all of the tourist resorts and residential or commercial areas could be found, but that wasn't all of the islands in the chain. One of the larger, unpopulated islands didn't have much tourist interest, as it was mostly mountainous; the center of the island was taken up by an old, inactive volcano that hadn't erupted in over two hundred years.

Which was why Fluttershy felt that it was the perfect home for Makuahine, the giant phoenix from the Otherworld that had migrated here with all of the other ponies and other creatures. The name meant "mother" in the native Haywaiian language, which Fluttershy felt was more than appropriate given that that had been the kirins' name for her in their world; Fluttershy felt it only right to exclude the "Calamity" part.

The kirin themselves, incidentally, had mostly chosen to either stay in Hope's Point, or had sought out new volcanic territories to live in, including the Haywaiian Islands. The Dragon Lands were also considered prime real estate, apparently, and the Otherworld kirin had made quick allies with the dragons.

They didn't interact all that much with the native kirin, oddly enough, which was a shame, since Fluttershy figured that Autumn Blaze would probably get a kick out of making new kirin friends.

Fluttershy walked along the thin, sandy beach near the small one-boat harbor that had been established on the island, scanning the sky for any sign of Makuahine, but at the moment there was nothing to see. Behind her, where the beach met the pier, was a large cart with a tarp over it that she had brought along, hence the need for a boat

Resting against the cart were Fluttershy's two companions for this journey: Celestia's phoenix companion Philomena, and Discord. Discord had dressed himself in all of the typical tourist apparel that was expected of a Haywaiian vacation: a floral Haywaiian shirt, a bright pink lei, a beach straw hat made of palm fronds, a ridiculously oversized pair of sunglasses, and a halved coconut with a big swirly straw and three drink umbrellas.

He was loudly slurping from the coconut, too, and somehow there was the distinct sound of a steel guitar playing a relaxing tune just like a typical native Haywaiian band.

"Discord, not so loud, please?" Fluttershy asked, bringing her wing to her lips in a shushing motion. "I can't hear if Makuahine's around if you're slurping your drink like that and playing that music."

Discord paused his slurping to lower his glasses and give her an incredulous look as he snapped his fingers and turned off the music. "Fluttershy, you're talking about a bird larger than any building in Ponyville. If you can't hear her flying about, I really do fear for your sense of hearing."

With a snap of fingers, a much smaller Discord—less than a foot tall—appeared on her shoulder dressed in a doctor's coat and wielding an otoscope as large as he was. "Not to worry, though!" the small Discord said, his voice comically high-pitched. "I can give you an examination right here and now. And you can relax: I am a doctor."

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes at the little Discord. "You told me that you had your medical license revoked in Equestria."

"Not all of them, dear, not yet anyway, and especially not my otolaryngology license. Once again, that's 'otolaryngology'. Say that three times fast."

Fluttershy batted the little Discord away; he disappeared in a poof of smoke. "Discord, please, can you just help me keep an eye out for her? This is important."

Discord rolled his eyes, snapped his fingers, and lounged back in the deck chair that had just appeared in mid-air. "I know, I know, you don't have to remind me. I just wish that we could have saved this until after our romantic Haywaiian getaway, maybe? It's a bit of a buzzkill, to be honest; most couples would kill to have a vacation like this."

At Fluttershy's indignant frown, he rolled his eyes again and held up his paws. "Alright, alright, don't give me that look. You know that I hate it when you give me that look. Let me just work a little magic and we can bring the mother of all mothers to us rather than waiting around, hmm? I do speak phoenix after all."

Philomena gave a little trill and puffed up her plumage.

Discord gasped. "Really, Phil, that's utterly inappropriate language for such polite company. And here I thought that Celestia had taught you better manners than that."

He snapped his fingers again, and a megaphone appeared in his paw, which he lifted up to his mouth before letting out a shrill, piercing screech, loud enough that Fluttershy stumbled back a few steps in surprise. Seconds later, another shrill screech came from over the other side of the volcano, and Fluttershy saw Makuahine circle around and fly towards them.

She flew slowly enough that she didn't rip up the trees on the coast or disturb anyone on the beach, and especially didn't damage the pier or the small boat docked there. She then came to a landing a dozen yards away from Fluttershy, landing with such force that the ground shook underneath Fluttershy's hooves.

Fluttershy gave her a big, friendly wave. "Hello, Makuahine! How are you? Are you settled into your new home now?"

The giant phoenix let out a low trill and tilted her head, stepping towards Fluttershy and her companions. She seemed particularly interested in Philomena and not Discord.

"Oh, that's my friend Philomena," Fluttershy explained with a smile. "The phoenixes of our world are a lot smaller than you are."

"Obviously," Discord muttered, lowering his glasses to look up at the huge avian. "A part of me really wants to make a mother-in-law joke right now, but another part of me isn't ready for Haywaiian barbeque right this minute."

Philomena let out a little trill, and spread her wings slowly; Makuahine tilted her head the other way and let out another low trill of her own. Fluttershy couldn't understand what they were communicating to one another—her animal "powers" were no longer super in this newly-merged world—but they didn't seem hostile towards one another.

"We're here to bring you something very important," Fluttershy said, gesturing at the tarped cart to get Makuahine's attention.

She gestured for Discord to lift the tarp, which he did with one swift motion, like somepony removing a tablecloth from a table without disturbing the settings; he did it so well that even Philomena, who was tightly gripping the tarp that was on her perch, remained exactly where she was and yet there was no longer a tarp beneath her.

Under the tarp, on the cart, were three phoenix eggs, each of them a healthy shade of orange with yellow flame-like markings; Discord was quite insistent that they were yellow with orange markings, not the other way around, but that was a debate for another time. They were all of the typical size of phoenix eggs, which of course put them at just a little smaller than a pony's head.

"Ta da!" Discord proclaimed with a flourish as confetti sprayed from behind the eggs. "Happy Easter!"

The large phoenix's eyes widened, and she stepped forward again to lean down and examine the eggs.

While Makuahine did so, Fluttershy explained: "It took me a while to make the arrangements, but I managed to find some animal sanctuaries with phoenixes that were willing to donate some eggs so that you could have a clutch of your own." She gestured at Philomena, who had shifted her perch to come behind one of the three eggs. "Philomena here even donated one."

Philomena trilled and rested her head against the side of her egg briefly, then stepped back and flourished her wings. Makuahine must have taken this as a good sign, because she leaned in further to look over the eggs here, then let out another low trill, this one noticeably more energetic.

"I saw the pain that you went through in losing everyone you had," Fluttershy said with a sad smile. "I just wanted to give you another chance— oh!"

Makuahine had surprised her by pressing her head against Fluttershy's in a tender gesture, which given the size difference between the two was quite awkward, but not unpleasant or painful. Fluttershy, in turn, lifted her hooves up to awkwardly "hug" the mother phoenix as best she could; though Makuahine's body was no longer made of fire and lava, she was still incredibly warm.

Discord let out a loud sniff and wiped a tear from his eye. "Awww."

*****

Rarity had always hated the saying "always a bridesmaid, never a bride". She'd had it directed at her a number of times by fashion rivals over the years as she attended weddings of friends and colleagues, but until one fateful day five years ago, she'd always figured that perhaps that was to just be her lot in life. For goodness sake, Rainbow Dash had gotten married.

She still hated the saying now, of course, but for a different reason. It just seemed so foolishly childish as an insult because it implied that just because she wasn't getting married, she wasn't ever going to find love. She'd come to learn that love came in all shapes and sizes and forms, and that one didn't need to be married to the special somepony in your life to enjoy their love.

Twilight and Winter weren't married, after all, but nopony would deny that the two of them were in love, and anypony who said otherwise was a complete moron. Twilight had spent years of her life learning to tear open the fabric between worlds just to see Winter again; if that wasn't true love, Rarity didn't know what was. So no, marriage wasn't a necessary part of a loving relationship in the least.

Okay, she was never going to be a bride—she was quite happy with her arrangement with Lockwood and Blackburn—and yes, she was always destined to be a bridesmaid at these occasions, but that was hardly something to be upset about anymore. She was going to own that role; she would support her friends and family when they were married to the ponies they loved just as she knew they supported her own love, no matter how nontraditional it was.

She was slightly surprised that Insipid hadn't chosen her to be the Maid of Honor, of course, but she wasn't displeased by the decision to make it Golden Dawn instead. If anything that actually made her happy. Dawn looked beautiful in her bridesmaid dress—she damn well better considering that Rarity had made it for her—especially since it complimented her prosthetic forelimb so well.

The rest of Insipid's sisters also served as bridesmaids, naturally, with the exception of Red Velvet, who was not in attendance. That was an understandable situation and Rarity was happy for her—and not at all envious at the same time—so she hadn't commented on it beyond an "oh, that's lovely" followed by a "the poor dear". But still, it helped round out the number to an even six.

As for the other bride—Rarity's understanding was that the happy couple had planned this all out in advance in a way that they both were comfortable—Rarity had only ever seen one wedding dress better, but then that might be just a little bit of bias since she'd made Insipid's dress.

Either way, she was still stunned when the announcement had been made: New Pandemonium top model Insipid was marrying the famous Equestrian pop singer Coloratura. Oh, the tabloids had been a zoo for the past three months.

Coloratura, incidentally, didn't have any bridesmaids of her own at all. Rarity couldn't tell if she was just being different or if she legitimately didn't have anypony that would fill that role… and that could make it here. Surely Applejack wasn't still the popstar's only real friend?

Of all the rotten timing for the wedding, it had to be now, right at the tailend of harvest season and on such short notice! Rarity had only received her invitation a week ago because of all the dresses she needed to make!

At any rate, it was still a sort of formal Equestrian wedding, and yes, Rarity found a bit of amusement in the fact that Insipid's world's traditions so closely resembled those of this one. With the way the altar was arranged, the positions in which the guests were seated, the way the decorations were organized, and just the general atmosphere, everything just seemed so… familiar. It was quite nice, actually.

And then the traditional Bridal Chorus began to play, and the entire marriage hall directed their attention towards the head of the aisle just as Insipid started her way down. Oh, her dress was beautiful; Rarity had spared no expense in putting it together, spending sleepless nights for an entire week ensuring that every single inch of the thing wasn't just good, great, exceptional, or even wonderful; no no no, those wouldn't do. Rarity ensured that Insipid's wedding dress was perfect.

Of course, it had to be in order to compliment Insipid's figure so perfectly that the entire room's attention would stay on her and not her father, Lord Silvertongue himself, who walked her down the aisle like a perfectly proud father should. He was still an alicorn exactly as Rarity had remembered seeing him all those years ago shortly after she and her friends had first met him, still dressed in formal finery and still as imposing, handsome, and powerful as ever.

Rarity couldn't help but laugh inside at the sight. Insipid didn't need anypony to protect her from anything, but if anypony ever got any ideas, one look at Insipid's father would instantly dispel any notions of the sort.

The vows were surprisingly simple, but then Rarity understood why. Insipid and Coloratura had met only three months ago when the latter was on tour through New Pandemonium, and the former had been hired to model for the promotional posters. The official meeting was at the photo shoot. The rest was, as they say, history; it was exactly the sort of whirlwind romance that Rarity had always wanted for herself, and she was happy for Insipid to have her own.

It was the dinner afterwards when things mellowed out a little and everypony could relax, mingle, and chat. Some of them hadn't seen each other in quite a long time, after all, so it only followed that there was a lot of catching up to do.

At Rarity's table there was, of course, herself, and Insipid had also invited Blackburn and Lockwood without question, having been invited to their wedding after all. Since the three of them were here, Gadget, Crossfire, and Zyra were all present as well, though they didn't seat themselves at this table but at another where they had a good view of the entire venue; such was life, but if any of them ever minded, they never said anything of the sort.

The other adults at the table were Curaçao—she'd apparently requested that she be seated with them—and her wife Raspberry Jam. Not Shroud, no, as that was apparently just a codename that she adopted while working for Silvertongue and later for Dawn and then Curaçao, but she'd since retired. And good thing too; the poor dear was positively swollen. There was no way that she wasn't carrying twins.

Speaking of which, Rarity's new family had brought along their kids.

Princess Bluebolt was quite rambunctious, but that was just so like her that nopony minded or said anything so long as she wasn't bothering anypony, which she wasn't, unless coming over to the adult table and nagging Lockwood to give her his dessert was bothering anypony, of course.

Prince Fireglow was quiet as usual, though he was sitting close to Curaçao and Raspberry's daughter, Jellybean, and the two were engaged in a quiet conversation that nopony else could hear. The two were on great terms as far as Rarity knew, and reminded her an awful lot of her sister and the other Crusaders when they were younger.

Last but not least were Princesses Dreamchaser and Silver Lining. The former was a pegasus filly with a grayish-blue coat and a turquoise mane with a dark blue streak through it, her eyes a lovely gold like her father's; this was Blackburn's youngest daughter. The latter, Rarity's daughter, had her mother's luscious purple mane—though she kept it long and straight at this age—but she had her father's gray coat and gorgeous golden eyes.

The two were named similarly to Blackburn and Lockwood's other children. Bluebolt was named in memory of Blackburn's mother, Blue Blitz; Fireglow was named for Blackburn's grandfather, King Flashfire; Dreamchaser was named for Blackburn's father, Stormchaser. Rarity had given her daughter's name a lot of thought, and named her after Blackburn's stepmother, Queen Silver Glow.

And oh, those two, they were more than just precious and precocious, they were simply adorable together. If not for the obvious fact of them only being half-sisters, they might as well have been twins, and because their eyes were the same color there were few who would be able to tell the difference.

The kids, of course, were all situated at their own table, a large one indeed as it also had to incorporate Gray Skies and Flathoof's daughter Rosewater and a few other kids of some of the other guests, as well as the little "fashion clique" of Shadows that idolized Insipid, such as Razzle Dazzle. The latter group were all so cute together, and quite fashionable for fillies their age.

This gave the adults plenty of time to chat amongst themselves.

"Those two certainly are a pair these days, aren't they?" Curaçao said, glancing at the kids' table and eyeing Fireglow and Jellybean. "I imagine that they'll only grow closer as they grow older, wouldn't you agree?" she asked, looking pointedly at Blackburn.

Blackburn smiled into her glass, then took a sip before giving Curaçao a curious grin. "Planning something?"

"Planning? Me? Oh, non, you have the wrong mare, Your Majesty. I am not some devious schemer by any means," Curaçao said, returning the grin. "I am merely making an observation. Two ponies their age, being so close and friendly with one another, looking forward to their visits together which are few and far apart? Whatever would you think I'm planning?"

"Reminder: not Utopian nobles. Arranged political marriages not in our interests."

Curaçao put her hoof over her heart. "Ooh la la, an arranged marriage? Quelle surprise! Your Majesty, you wound me with your accusations. I would never dream of arranging such a thing… officially."

"Ah. Implies no problem with unofficial arrangement. Plan is ensuring they spend proper time together, grow up, fall in love. Hmm?"

"You make it sound so clinical, mon amie. Where's your sense of romance? Of passion?"

Blackburn chuckled into her drink. "Apologies. Just trying to picture it. My son, your daughter: they fall in love, marry. Unite our cities together 'by blood' as the Utopians do. More than just peace, but… what? Symbolic union?"

"Oui, of course. What better way to show our two cities that the peace is more than just what's written on paper, hmm?"

"Admirable. Will not force issue, of course, but… can see the appeal. Allow it to happen naturally, though."

"Oui, oui, cela va sans dire." Curaçao smiled, leaned back in her seat, and stirred her coffee. "I notice that you're drinking non-alcoholic wine tonight, by the way. I ensured that plenty more would be available for our table."

Blackburn didn't miss a beat. "Of course you did. Noticed that you noticed, of course, saw you flag waiter for it. Saved me the trouble."

Curaçao chuckled. "Ah, but I noticed that you noticed me noticing, but I think that you noticed that I noticed that. Where does the loop end, I wonder? C'est un mystère."

Rarity cleared her throat. "Please, if both of you try to one up one another on who's the better spy and schemer, we're going to be here all night. Can you two just agree that you're both masters of your crafts for once and let the rest of us enjoy the evening in peace?" She paused. "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out so harshly."

Curaçao held up her hooves. "Non, pardonne-moi, I got carried away. It's all the excitement of the wedding." She took a sip of her wine. "And the good wine, of course. It's a little stronger than what I'm used to. And all the future excitement of my Raspberry and Blackburn being pregnant so close together."

Blackburn raised an eyebrow and glanced down at her stomach, which had no noticeable bulge. "Hardly 'close together'. Only one month in myself. Raspberry is… six months? No, six-and-a-half."

"That is exactly right, Your Majesty," Raspberry said with a grin. "I'm just glad I'm still able to move. I can't imagine what poor Velvet's going through right now. She had to miss the wedding and everything!"

Curaçao sighed and shook her head. "Ah, c'est la vie."

"How exactly did you even make this work, Curaçao?" Rarity asked pointedly, gesturing at Raspberry's belly. "I thought your shapeshifting magic didn't work anymore now that our worlds are together?"

"Oui, but I took steps to ensure it could happen if we wanted it to," Curaçao replied with a grin. "I'll spare you the details."

"Yes, ahem, much appreciated."

"Say, Curaçao, perhaps you could help Blackburn solve an issue that's bugging us, put all that cleverness to good use?" Lockwood suggested with a wide smile. "I don't suppose New Pandemonium is doing much better in diplomatic and trade relations with the Crystal Empire than we are?"

Curaçao huffed. "Oui, vous n'avez aucune idée. While I'm sure that Dawn would not want me spreading classified information around, I will say that Princess Cadance is quite the savvy sort, politically-speaking. Princess Twilight is overly friendly and welcoming of all the newcomers to this combined world of ours, but Princess Cadance is more… wary."

"Crystal ponies have bad history with outsiders; Princess Cadance serves their interests," Blackburn said with a shrug. "Understandable. Locations also make it difficult; Hope's Point in 'Undiscovered West', New Pandemonium in 'Mysterious South'. Uncharted lands before we arrived, names inherently untrustworthy. Our technology is strange to them, stranger than it is to Equestrians."

"Oui, that would certainly follow. Their city vanished for a thousand years only to reappear and immediately start dealing with threats again. This 'King Somba' sounded like quite the tormentor."

"You have no idea," Rarity muttered.

Blackburn shook her head. "Eventually will be more open with us, will have to be; world has a new order, would be unwise to be left behind."

Rarity blanched slightly. "Oh, darling, I hope you haven't said anything like that to Cadance. Believe me, I know her—I made her wedding dress, for goodness sake—and I know that she can be very open and welcoming if you give her reason to be. She's not like those Utopian nobles who would respond to that sort of thing."

"What would you suggest?" Curaçao asked.

Rarity smirked and tilted her head. "Oh, nothing that would help you of course, my dear. After all, one of your closest friends doesn't happen to be Princess Cadance's sister-in-law, hmm?"

"Aha! C'est malin, Lady Rarity. Now you're learning to play the political game as well, I see."

"Yes, well, you learn a thing or two when you spend so much time around these two," Rarity said, tilting her head towards Blackburn and Lockwood. "Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see you fail, but I'm a little biased in who I want to see succeed first." She then took a sip of wine—alcoholic for her—and dabbed her lips. "C'est la vie, right?"

The rest of the evening consisted of lots of little conversations here and there, mostly catching up with ponies who Rarity hadn't seen in quite some time. As Rarity left the table to go mingle, as was her desire, she did notice Dawn come over and almost immediately take Rarity's old seat to strike up a conversation with Blackburn; she looked pleasantly exuberant, as Dawn herself might say.

Rarity didn't need much catching up with Gray or Flathoof, obviously, as the two still lived comfortably in Hope's Point and the former was still New Pandemonium's Ambassador. They'd all had dinner just last week, after all. Besides, the two of them were chatting with some other guests that Rarity was certain that neither Gray nor Flathoof knew, and Rarity wasn't about to play the rescuer. They didn't need it.

Havoc was also not one who needed a lot of catching up with, though Rarity sought her out anyway, if only to have a little chat with Cotton Rose, who was, incidentally, dressed in a gorgeous dress of her own design.

Havoc herself, it was worth noting, no longer had an odd prosthetic eye, but had completely replaced it with an eyepatch at this stage. It was a nice eyepatch, of course. Apparently the eye hadn't made the transition to this world properly, and Havoc hated having a glass replacement.

"Cotton," Rarity said coolly as she approached the couple at their table.

Cotton gave Rarity an equally cool, tense reply. "Rarity."

They stared each other down for a good few seconds, then smiled and hugged one another like old friends, which of course they were by this point. "Darling, you look simply gorgeous. I love that dress. Is that… ooh! Silk and lace together? My my my, this blend is fantastic," she said as she ran her hoof along it.

"Thanks," Cotton replied with a grin. "But it's nothing compared to what you've done. You made all of the bridesmaids' dresses except Havoc's—"

"'Cause I don't wear dresses," Havoc quipped between sips of her beer; she was dressed in a dapper mare's tuxedo, very tasteful.

"—because she doesn't wear dresses, but you designed the others, and they all looked great, but then you made that wedding dress, and oh my stars, Rarity, honey, that dress is just… there aren't words for it. You're gonna draw a ton of attention once the wedding photos hit the press, girl."

Rarity fluffed her mane gently. "Oh, well thank you dear. It was nothing, really."

"Psh, don't give me that. But hey, you know what, you can keep the attention for all I care," Cotton snickered. "Once ponies see the kind of work you put out for the celebrity wedding of the decade, they're gonna be knocking down the door of every single one of your boutiques. You're gonna be so backed up with work that you can't see straight."

"Not to worry, darling, I'll send a few your way if they come to my boutique in Hope's Point. I'm certain that your Glitz 'n' Glamour will appreciate the bleedover," Rarity said with a wink. "After all, what are friends for?"

"Speaking of which, um… well, Havoc and I just got back from our vacation in Manehattan right before the wedding," Cotton said, tapping her hooves together. "I happened to visit your boutique while we were there, and we met that friend of yours, Coco Pommel?"

Rarity tilted her head. "Yes, naturally. She runs that branch of the Carousel Boutique and does just an exquisite job at it. Why, was something the matter?"

"Oh, no no no, not at all. The boutique is great, and she really seemed to have a good handle on running the place. It's just, um… well, it was sort of… awkward. Meeting her, I mean. She's awfully nice, but, uh… hmm. How to put this…"

Rarity paused, then the gears clicked. "Ahh, yes, I can imagine it was perhaps a tad strange. I believe that I mentioned once that the two of you bear more than a passing resemblance?"

"'Passing resemblance'?" Havoc scoffed, again between sips of beer. "The two of them are practically twins. If I didn't have every inch of Cotton's body memorized by now, I might've actually mixed them up and walked home with the wrong mare. Your friend's cute though, Rares, I'll give her that."

"Ha, I'll tell her that you said that," Rarity said with a grin. "How's your skyball team, by the way? I don't follow the skyball leagues much, but I figured that since we're here…?"

Havoc grinned. "The Rockets are doing great, thanks for asking. The playoffs start next week, and word on the street is that we're the team to beat this year. The whole team is stoked as hell. I'm stoked as hell. The only way it could be better is if I were on the field with 'em.

"Not only that, but the Junior Rockets start their first season in a few months, and those kids are fired up like you wouldn't believe. I'm really looking forward to seeing how well they've grown as players over the years, y'know? Didja know that Cotton made their uniforms? 'Cause Cotton made their uniforms."

"I made their uniforms," Cotton said with a nod and a smirk. "She won't let anypony forget it, as if it'll give me free advertising or something."

Havoc snorted. "Hey, if I wanna advertise that my partner made my junior team's uniforms, I'm gonna spread that shit around as much as I want."

After that, Rarity moved on to the table belonging to the brides, timing her approach just perfectly so that she didn't have to stand around waiting for her turn. Insipid greeted her with a wide smile and a hug, but they were both careful enough with it not to ruin the wedding dress. Insipid was so excited that she could hardly sit still; Coloratura was obviously the more stable of the two.

"Congratulations to you both," Rarity said with a sweet smile and a nod to the happy couple. "I hope today has been as perfect as you two hoped it would be."

"Oh. My. Stars. Better than perfect!" Insipid chirped, bouncing in her seat and tapping her hooves together. "I've always dreamed of having a big wedding, and this is the biggest wedding ever! This is the best day of my life!"

"The best day of your life so far," Coloratura said with a grin and a nudge. "We've got a lot of life left ahead of us, honey, just you wait." She then gave a little grin to Rarity. "I'm glad that you were able to make it, Rarity. I know that the timing of all this was rather sudden, but we just couldn't wait."

"Yes, and Applejack wanted me to say that she apologizes, but that she couldn't make it on such short notice," Rarity said. She hoisted up one of the two wrapped gift boxes she was holding. "She also asked that I at least bring you a wedding gift in her name since she can't be here in person, and she demanded that I, quote, 'give Rara an earful for getting married out of the blue like that'.

"She approves of the union of course, she's just very confused about how quickly this all happened, which I understand completely. Traditionally couples will date for years before they decide that marriage is the right step. But then you two are hardly traditional sorts," she added with a grin. "I doubt that things like tradition could contain either of you."

Coloratura grinned back, then worked together with Insipid to unwrap the gift. Inside was a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres apple cider. Not just any bottle, either, but the "top shelf" hard cider that Applejack specifically sold only to the most exclusive cider connoisseurs and enthusiasts, made from the absolute best apples in her harvests. The bottle was even sealed with wax, giving it a very high-class look and appeal.

"Oh wow, look at this," Coloratura said as she eyed the bottle up and down. "Did Applejack make this herself?"

"If you'll forgive the mild marketing spiel, yes," Rarity tittered. "Every bottle of Sweet Apple Acres hard apple cider is hoof-crafted at the farm, and I happen to know that that particular bottle was made by Applejack herself. It's quite an exclusive product; she only sells about ten of them a year because she ages them for a year beforehand; she made that bottle last year."

Insipid took the bottle over to herself and looked it over. "Y'know, even though it's been, like, five years since the Conjunction, I still haven't tried an apple for myself? There's just not a lot of demand for them here in New Pandemonium, I guess. Sooo, I guess this is gonna be my first try at the stuff!"

"Oh, you won't be disappointed, darling. I'm not much of a fan of the hard ciders that Applejack makes, but the non-alcoholic versions are quite delicious. If you want an opinion on that particular bottle, though, ask Blackburn; she buys one for herself every year."

"Give Applejack our thanks when you see her next, will you?" Coloratura said with a grin. "I'm going to send her a letter, of course, just in case I can't get away from the tour to visit her. We had to put the whole thing on hold for the wedding but I can't put it off forever. Ponyville's not on the list this time, so I don't know when I'll get to visit."

"I'll make sure she knows, dear. Ponyville's on my route back to Hope's Point, after all, and we'd already planned on making a stop to visit my old boutique and say hello to my sister." Rarity then hoisted another box onto the table, lighter than the other but larger. "Now, before I head off, here's my wedding gift to both of you, which I'm certain will see plenty of use over the course of your marriage, starting with tonight."

"Oooh, what is it?" Insipid asked, reaching to unwrap the box.

Rarity pulled it away from her ever-so-slightly. "Ah ah ah," she tutted. "This one's probably better to unwrap later, in a more… private space, perhaps? I think you two will enjoy the gift quite thoroughly. I made them myself."

"Ohhh. I getcha. If it's a Rarity Original, you'd better believe I'm gonna totally make use of it tonight." Insipid tilted her head towards her wife. "Right, honey? Eh? Eh?"

Coloratura, red in the face, set her hoof on Insipid's. "I'm looking forward to it."

*****

Velvet rested in bed, staring up at the ceiling and feeling excessively disgruntled today. She'd been excessively disgruntled yesterday, too, but today she just felt particularly excessively disgruntled, to the point that every little sound, no matter how minute, no matter how distant, no matter how insignificant, was the single worst sound in all of existence. A gust of wind at the window might as well have been the apocalypse.

So when the telephone by her bed rang, she silently willed for it to just burst into flames and die. But it didn't. It just rang again. And again. And again, until she finally managed to muster up the strength to answer it. She knew who was calling, of course, so she didn't hesitate to vent all of her frustration into a single word:

"What?!" she snapped, leaving off with a little snarl.

"Vel, hey," came Pedigree's voice on the other end. "It's me, I was just—"

"I know it's you, you stupid idiot! What do you want?!"

"I was just heading out to do some shopping, and I was wondering if you wanted me to bring you the chunky peanut butter, or the smooth?"

Velvet snarled again. "Smooth! And it better be honey roasted! So help me, if you bring me regular smooth peanut butter, I'm gonna tear your fucking balls off, you hear me?!"

"Of course, smooth, honey-roasted, got it. And you wanted dark chocolate, right?"

"Damn right I want dark chocolate! And it'd better be at least ninety percent! If you bring me any of that eighty percent garbage I'm gonna shove it up your ass!"

"Right, good, dark chocolate it is, ninety precent minimum. Anything else I should get?"

"Yeah! Get me the biggest jar of hot sauce you can find, and it'd better be fucking spicy. I'm gonna mix them all together, and I want it to burn on the way down. None of that mild shit! I'll pour it into your eyes if you bring me the mild shit!"

"Gotcha, one jar of extra spicy hot sauce. Okay, I'm on my way out, but I should be back in an hour. I'll see you when I get back. Love you."

"Don't give me that 'love you' shit! You did this to me with your miracle medicine, you fucker!" Velvet snarled, and growled, then started sobbing. "Waaah ha-haaa… I love you too, Pedi. You're so good to me and I love you so much and I'm sorry I'm yelling at you but everything's just too much for me-he-heeee…"

"I know, Vel, I know. I'll be back soon with your food, okay? You'll feel better once you get something to eat. Bye for now!"

Velvet bawled as she clicked the telephone receiver down, then bawled some more, then returned to snarling as she threw her blankets off. "Why is it so fucking hot in here?! Who's been messing with the thermostat?!"

She wanted to reach out and adjust it herself, but she could hardly move, as had been the case for the last several weeks since she'd bulged out so much. Hence why she wasn't at her sister's wedding today, or why she couldn't walk around the tower freely without taking major preparatory steps. She wanted to joke that the tower elevator couldn't support her weight, but then a part of her was worried that that was true.

But that tended to happen when a mare was pregnant with triplets. She was just glad that her bed was strong enough to support her weight.

This was all Pedigree's fault, and she wanted nothing more than to strangle him until his eyes popped out of his skull and he stopped breathing, and what's worse was she knew that it was just going to get worse next month when she should be going into labor. Maybe she'd strangle him then? Nopony would blame her if she "accidentally" squeezed his hoof so hard that she ripped his whole forelimb off.

Of course she knew that if she did that then Pedigree wouldn't be able to hold their three foals together with her properly and that just wouldn't do. He was the most perfect, wonderful stallion in the whole world and he'd be a wonderful daddy and that was that, and she wanted to make sure that he knew that every chance she got.

She was not expecting a knock at her door at this time of day. She knew it wasn't Pedigree, though, so she took a deep breath to calm herself so that she didn't scare off whoever her visitor was. "Come in," she replied as coolly and calmly as she could. Her door opened and Caramel Rye poked his head inside; Velvet brightened immediately. "Caramel! Come on in, honey."

Caramel pushed the door open and entered the room, looking as nervous as she'd ever seen him. He'd grown into such a handsome young colt, bigger and stronger than any of his classmates—Green Guard didn't count since he wasn't technically in the class anymore—and so tall, and did she mention handsome? His Cutie Mark turned out to be a compass; as Velvet put it, he always had a knack for finding his way.

Marée de Rêve was with him, oddly enough, just as anxious looking but still so pretty. She'd grown into a gorgeous young filly with the most beautifully slender figure and a lovely face. Her Cutie Mark was a pair of ballerina shoes, signifying her grace and skill at dancing.

It was no wonder to Velvet at all that the two were a couple. She'd known for a long time that it would only be sooner rather than later that their friendship blossomed into something more. A lot of the Shadows had started up relationships with one another, just like kids at a regular high school would. It was cute.

And so long as they were careful, Velvet and Pedigree didn't chastise them.

"And hello to you too, Marée," Velvet said with a pleasant smile. "What's up? Why do you two look like you just wandered into a dragon's den? Don't tell me you're scared of me because of how much I've been yelling at the Overseer. I'd never yell at any of you like that, I promise."

"Oh… um… good," Caramel said, tapping his hooves together. "H-How are you feeling, Mom? Do you need anything? Another pillow maybe? Should I adjust the thermostat? Do you want me to get your blanket for you? Anything at all?"

"Yeah, like, um… d-do you want me to fluff your pillows?" Marée squeaked, her voice cracking anxiously. "Or, um… maybe I could open a window for you? Are you hungry? Do you need something to drink?"

"No no, that's fine, sweetie, I'm fine. Just a little frustrated, but it's nothing a little breathing exercise and meditation won't cure. Enough about that, though, what's going on with you two? I've never seen you acting so nervous before. Did something happen?"

Marée and Caramel shared a brief look between one another, took a deep breath each, then turned to address Velvet properly.

~~~~~

Pedigree was about three blocks away from Pandora Tower—he'd come to enjoy walking to the nearby grocery market lately—when he heard a sudden noise from the direction he'd just come from. It almost sounded like Velvet shouting "you're what?!" at the top of her lungs, loud enough that he could hear it from here and that it scared off a flock of pigeons. Because New Pandemonium had pigeons now, go figure.

And yet he had the strangest instinctual feeling that he needed to have a stern talking to with Caramel all of a sudden. Hmm. What a confusing notion that was.

But he just shrugged and ignored it for now, then turned his attention back to the street ahead and continued on his way. Whatever that was all about could wait until he got back home from the store, before his loving partner decided to make good on her threats of violence.

*****

Zircon found Ponyville to be a remarkably quaint reminder of how his old world used to be. The town was pleasantly small and had a tight-knit community of ponies who knew each other well enough that most folks could tell you where anypony else lived, generally speaking. Everypony was friendly and helpful, but not so friendly and helpful that it was suspicious, and there were a robust collection of various races present.

Not to mention that the aesthetic was charming, to say the least.

He enjoyed his trips here, a lot more than he'd ever enjoyed his sojourns to the old Utopian lands back when they all lived on the same continent. Six months in Zeb'ra'den and another six in Ponyville just seemed like the ideal arrangement, a replacement for the original six months of his time spent wandering the old southern continent.

Well, technically it was less than six and six, as he spent a month on the road coming to Ponyville, so it was more five and six; he still didn't quite understand or trust these "train" contraptions yet and saw no need to use them when his hooves worked just fine in getting him from place to place, and it gave him an opportunity to try different route and see different towns and villages throughout this new world.

Though he did use the train to get home, as Applejack always came with him to deliver a cargo of apples to Zeb'ra'den, Forstburg, and the Crystal Empire. He tended to ignore most of the trip, though, and keep his focus on her instead; besides that, he only trusted these trains when she was around to put him at ease.

Flying in those old Hope's Point airships hadn't been this bad; at least those weren't rickety.

Still, every time he arrived here in Ponyville, he wasted no time whatsoever in making his way over to Sweet Apple Acres. The winter season was just beginning here in Ponyville, so a thin layer of fluffy white snow covered the ground everywhere he looked, even covered the tops of each and every apple tree. And there were always so many apple trees, too; the orchard had certainly grown since he was last here.

Zircon found Applejack in the south field, alone, currently hard at work making some repairs to a fence. She was as lovely as ever, and as strong it seemed, as it only took a single strike of her hammer each time to set the nails in just right. It was simpler work than he usually saw Applejack doing—this was normally something that Apple Bloom would do during her break time—but he didn't question it.

She was dressed particularly warmly today, too, to the point that Zircon had to pause a moment to judge the cold. It was a little colder than usual, certainly, but Applejack typically didn't mind the cold all that much. He didn't question this much either, just noted it to himself; perhaps it had been colder earlier and she just hadn't taken the jacket off yet.

She noticed him first and gave him a big smile and a wave. "Hey hey! Howdy there, Zircon. Lookit you, right on time 'n' everythang. I dunno how ya do it e'ry single time."

"A Knight of the Order dost not arrive early or late to any engagement, but precisely when they claimeth they will," Zircon replied with a grin. "'Twould be rude to arrive at any other time."

"Yeah yeah, ya say that e'ry time I bring it up."

"Aye, because it is true."

She waved that claim off with her hoof. "Psh. Hush up already, Mister Thou, and get o'er here an' gimme some sugar."

Zircon smirked, and without any hesitation stepped forward to meet her lips with his, a wooden fence the only thing between them. She tasted and smelled of apples, as she always did; he'd since gotten used to the taste and aroma just from sampling the farm's crop year after year, so there was no mistaking the flavor. Lunch had only been a few hours ago, after all.

When they separated—she lingered a little longer than usual—he gave her a pleasant smile and set his forehead against hers. "Dost thou require aid with thy chores, my fair maiden? 'Twould be rude not to offer."

"Naw, I'm doin' just fine, thanks," she replied, gesturing at the fence. "Just gotta finish hammerin' out the last few yards o' wood here an' I'm all done fer the day. We was on a roll yesterday 'n' got a few extra things done, so we figured we'd take it easy today so we could greet ya all proper-like."

"Aha, a pleasant surprise if there ever was one. Thou dost not seem particularly pleased at the notion, however, if I might say so?"

She paused, then let out a breath. "Ah, yeah, there was a bit o' rotten timin' wit' some things here 'n' there, y'know. My friend Rara's gettin' hitched today, but I couldn't make the weddin'. I only got the dang ol' invitation yesterday afternoon, an' I couldn't just up 'n' leave e'rypony here ta pick up the slack, or have y'all show up without me here ta greet ya."

Zircon nodded solemnly. "'Tis a regrettable circumstance indeed, fair Applejack. I suddenly hath dread within me that I bear some responsibility, and hope that thou didst not maketh thyself unable to venture to thy friend's wedding on mine account."

She paused again, gulped, then shook her head. "Uh, naw, that's uh… that's not it, not really, naw. Like I said, there're lots o' chores still left needin' doin' after the harvest, an' I weren't about ta leave 'em all ta Big Mac 'n' Sugar Belle. Bloom's still got another week left o' school 'fore she comes home, an' without Granny 'round no more…"

"Might I assume that Lady Belle is preparing a feast for us all to partake in?" Zircon asked, hoping to change the uncomfortable subject.

Applejack's grandmother, Granny Smith, had passed away last year, a month before he'd arrived in Ponyville that winter season. Applejack now wore her shawl to honor her memory to this day.

Zircon's question seemed to work, since Applejack perked up right away. "Yup, she's cookin' up a storm! Ya better expect some extra helpings, I tell ya what, 'cause I think she went a lil' bit overboard."

"Aye, 'twould be a shame to waste such a meal. I am glad that I hath brought mine appetite."

Applejack glanced over at the barn, which was just in sight from over here. "Hey, tell ya what, if'n you're lookin' ta lend a hoof wit' some chores, Big Mac's workin' on somethin' in the barn, probably fixin' up the plow. He tol' me ta send ya his way if ya got here 'fore dinnertime. Guess he figures he could use a strong pair o' hooves."

Zircon nodded. "Very well, then my noble deed for today will be to assist thy brother with his task. On mine honor as a Knight of the Order of the Black Flame, it shall be done posthaste."

"Pfft. You're a hoot, Mister Thou," she chuckled. "Go on, we'll get caught up over dinner, y'hear?"

He nodded, then made his way around the fence and towards the barn. He could not hear the sounds of labor from within, but that didn't necessarily mean anything; sometimes these farm tasks were quiet, sometimes loud, but they were always strenuous and tough. He respected Applejack and her brother for the work that they did; not all warriors fought on the fields of battle, after all.

When he entered the barn, he found it mostly empty save for the usual fare that the family stored within, which was to say that there was no hard labor being performed in here on any sort of plow or other farming equipment, and that Big Macintosh was oddly absent as well.

Well, the second part wasn't true. Big Mac was present, as Zircon discovered after he'd taken a few steps inside to look around. Big Mac was by the barn door, actually, and as soon as Zircon had entered into the barn fully, the large earth pony—he was one of the largest earth ponies Zircon knew—shut the door behind him.

"Ah, Lord Macintosh, thou art a quiet one for a stallion of thy stature," Zircon quipped, giving the other stallion a wide smile; he'd taken to calling Applejack's family by proper noble titles out of both respect and because it amused Applejack. "Applejack hast claimed that thou dost require mine aid with a task, perhaps fixing some accoutrement? Pray, what task hast thou in mind?"

Macintosh shook his head. "Nnnope. Nothin' like that."

"Ah… hmm. Then hast thou already completed thy task?"

"Nnnope."

Zircon tilted his head. "Then, praytell, why hast thou summoned me here?"

"Just wanted ta talk wit' ya. Stallion ta stallion if ya don't mind," the big stallion said as he circled around Zircon to step into the center of the barn. "What're yer intentions wit' AJ?"

"Mine intentions? Whatever dost thou mean?"

"I'ma get straight to it. I know you 'n' my sister are intimate together. That don't bother me none. What I don't know is if that's all ya see her as."

Zircon blinked, then scowled. "Sir, art thou accusing me of treating Applejack dishonorably? 'Tis a bold claim, good sir, one that calleth into question mine honor and integrity, and a claim that hath no basis in fact."

"Oh really?" Mac snorted. "'Cause how I see it, you're beddin' my sister but y'all ain't showin' no interest in makin' a proper mare out of 'er. I'm talkin' 'bout gettin' hitched, o' course."

"Ah, then the problem hath been made clear. 'Tis a misunderstanding on thy part, good sir, though 'tis no fault of thine own, for how couldst thou knoweth the culture of my people in such detail? Forgiveth me, for I hath not explained it before now."

"Yeah, well, ya better start explainin' good, friend."

"Aye, 'twould be wise to diffuse this quarrel and clarify the error. Fair Applejack and I hath bonded in battle. We hath spilled our blood together and spilled the blood of a shared foe; we hath stood back-to-back against oblivion, united as two warriors in body and soul. In my culture, this bond is rare amongst our people, but 'tis as true a bond as any.

"I didst explain this to fair Applejack years ago, and she didst claim to understand it, to accept it, to embrace it." Zircon smiled and nodded. "I didst formalize the bond with the courts of Zeb'ra'den. Applejack and I are Bonded; 'tis similar to marriage in that we art considered next of kin. Shouldst some ill fate befall me, she wouldst inherit my wealth and holdings, and vice versa."

"'Taint the same thing as marriage, though, an' y'all know it," Mac huffed.

Zircon nodded slowly. "Aye, 'tis similar, but not exactly the same. There is no ceremony, for one."

"So ya didn't really answer my question, 'cause I asked if ya had any intention of marryin' my sister or not. Do ya?"

"I…" Zircon paused, then took a short breath and closed his eyes. "Were Applejack to wish for that, then I wouldst gladly join in such a union. But she hath never indicated any interest in it. I believe that she dost see our current 'arrangement' as a pleasant thing, and I see no reason to alter it if she dost not."

"Hmm… how 'bout kids?" Mac asked, his eye narrowed. "That there Bond thing say anythin' 'bout kids?"

Zircon was caught off-guard, but managed to reply: "The… the Bond dost account for the Bonded individuals to sire foals together, aye."

"An' wouldja ever wanna have foals wit' AJ?"

"Yes," Zircon said without a second's hesitation. "If Applejack didst desire it, I wouldst happily sire foals with her. But only if that was her desire. Now, art thou satisfied with that answer, good sir? Or wouldst thou like to interrogate me further?"

"What in the hay is goin' on in here?" came Applejack's voice from the barn doorway. "Sure don't look like any plow fixin' I ever saw."

Big Mac's eyes shot over to her. "Oh! Uh… eyyup. All finished with the plow. We were just leavin—"

"Can it, Mac, I heard enough. What in the hay's gotten into ya, huh? Trickin' me inta sendin' Zircon in here so ya could grill 'im like you're Pa or somethin'? That ain't yer place, Mac."

Mac held up his hooves. "Now, hol' on there, sis—"

"Nuh-uh, you hold on. That there's a rotten trick and you know it. You 'n' me're gonna have a lil' chat after this, 'cause I don't much appreciate gettin' used like that." Applejack huffed, then turned to Zircon. "Sorry 'bout that, Zircon. "Tain't right fer him ta lure ya in here like that—"

"Nay, 'tis no trouble at all, fair Applejack," Zircon said with a small grin. "Thy brother merely hath concern for thee, and thou shouldst not fault him for his concerns. 'Tis only natural for siblings to care for one another so."

"That may be, but it still ain't—" Applejack then hissed in pain and held her stomach.

Zircon and Big Macintosh moved to her simultaneously and quickly. "AJ, you okay?" Mac asked, offering her his hoof.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just another cramp," Applejack grunted through clenched teeth. "Hoo doggie, that one was a doozy, I tell ya what."

Zircon's eyes widened as all the little puzzle pieces started lining up. "A… cramp? Applejack, art thou… art thou with foal?"

Applejack took a breath then lifted her head up to look at him and gave him a little, embarrassed nod. "Uh… yeah." She lifted the side of her jacket open so that Zircon could get a good look at her swollen stomach; by Zircon's guess, she was halfway along on the journey. "I was gonna tell ya later tonight, after dinner."

Zircon felt his world start swimming all around him. "But… how? 'Twas mine impression that we hath taken precautions? Sugar Belle doth provide thee with medication when I visit in Winter and Spring, and thou dost partake in the Tears of Layk when thou art in Zeb'ra'den."

"Err, yeah, 'bout that. 'Member when I went up north with ya at the end o' this last spring?"

"Aye?"

She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, well, uh… the night before I left, you 'n' me had a lil' roll in the hay and I, uh… I sorta… forgot ta take some o' that there magic tea y'all zebras brew. I was runnin' late that mornin' an' it just slipped my dang mind. I didn't even realize it 'til a few months ago when I started gettin' cramps, an' then I started showin'."

Zircon gulped. "So… thou art with foal. With my foal." he hung his head. "Forgiveth me, fair Applejack. I hath dishonored thee with mine actions and sired a foal with thee against thy wishes—"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on there, buckaroo, who ever said I ain't want it?"

"What?"

Applejack stepped forward so that they were face-to-face. "Look, I know we didn't, y'know… intend fer this ta happen, but… it ain't like it's a bad thing, right? We've been together fer a long while now, Zircon, an' I'd be lyin' if I didn't say I love ya. An' I know ya love me too."

"Aye… more than anything…"

"See? So what's the problem? Not e'ry couple out there has foals on purpose, y'know? An' it ain't like we're bringin' this here colt or filly inta a home that won't give 'em all the love they deserve." She set her hooves around his neck. "I guess what I'm sayin' it, I want ta have this foal with ya. So if you want—"

He interrupted her with one of the most passionate kisses he'd ever managed. Words couldn't possibly express how he really felt right now.

*****

There were a few odd things for Hourglass to consider now that two worlds had been merged together into one. For one thing, the world mostly used the map of what was once Equestria-IV, meaning that Equestria was just a nation, not the name of the entire world, at least as far as the denizens were concerned.

However, entire landmasses and cityscapes from Equestria-V had transferred over in the merger too, so the world was both strange and new to her as well as to the natives of both worlds. Equestria-Divergence, as the new world was called in the Chronomancer database, was just strange like that.

New Pandemonium City, for example, had been planted firmly in a region of what was known as the "Mysterious South", a region that had been mostly uncharted or forgotten for thousands of years but now was home to the largest city on the planet. However, the remaining landmass south of New Pandemonium was still mostly mysterious and strange, a wanderer's dream if there ever was one.

As such, ponies like Hourglass who wanted to explore the world and see the unseen, discovered the undiscovered, and find that which was lost, had plenty to do. This train from New Pandemonium winded through the mountainous south of the city until it reached the ancient jungles, where it would stop at a frontier town that didn't have a proper name yet, and where ponies like her could set out on a journey.

The dining car on the train served some of the best tea she'd had in ages, incidentally. And best of all… she loved being on a train. Equestria-V didn't have trains at all, but Equestria-IV did and thus this new world kept them. She loved every second that she was anywhere near one of these marvels of engineering.

They reminded her of home. Her old home.

As she left the dining car to return to her cabin, she stopped off in the cabin next to hers, giving a sharp knock at the door before opening it up and peeking inside. She wasn't alone on this journey, after all.

Accompanying her were three teenagers: Sunspire, Green Guard, and Serendipity. Yes, three teenagers who all had a love for adventure and discovering new things about the world around them.

All three of them had grown quite a bit over the years, taller mostly. Sunspire was particularly lanky for his age and no longer needed his goggles; Serendipity had spurted early in life and was roughly the same height today that she'd been when they first met, but was more athletic; Green, on the other hoof, could easily be confused for an adult stallion.

They'd all gotten their Cutie Marks too: Sunspire, a set of cartographer's tools; Serendipity, a five-leaf clover; Green Guard, a large barbell.

Now, besides being three growing teenagers, they were three hormonal teenagers that Hourglass had to constantly check up on to make sure they were behaving themselves. It was fine while they were in town or on a train, but she had to be sure that they wouldn't do something stupid like sneak off away from camp to have a snog or a shag.

The three were currently seated quite peculiarly on the cabin's couch with an oddly-placed blanket that didn't look like it was serving its intended purpose, which meant that they'd definitely been up to something before Hourglass had arrived, hence why she'd knocked. She narrowed her eyes at the three of them, and they all gave her big, innocent smiles that she didn't believe for an instant.

"H-hi, Hourglass!" Sunspire said with a little wave; he was clearly hoping that Hourglass wouldn't notice Serendipity wiping her mouth. But she did. "What's up? We thought you'd be out for tea for another twenty minutes or so."

Hourglass let out a breath. "It doesn't take an hour to drink a pot of tea. What're you three getting up to in here?"

"Nothing. Why? Does it look like we're getting up to something?" asked Serendipity with a tilt of her head. "'Cause we're not, no ma'am, not at all."

"Uh huh. Look, kids, you don't have to hide it from me. I don't care if you shag as long as you're being careful about it. I'm not your bloody mum." Hourglass then paused. "That doesn't mean I want to know about it though, but you don't need to be afraid of me punishing you for it. You're growing up. It's normal for you."

"Ah… er, r-right," Sunspire muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, um… are we going to be arriving at the station soon, Sis?"

"The conductor says we have about an hour to go. We'll take dinner in town, rest for the night, then set off on our little adventure. Sunsy, did you finish working on our map?"

"Oh, absolutely. Based on the information in the Daring Do series, I've figured out that there are a number of interesting locations that she never managed to explore in their entirety. Extrapolating the data leads me to believe that we can find one of them, the Temple of the Evening Sun, in the southeastern jungles, just a few miles inland. It should be roughly a six-day journey from the station."

"Sounds easy enough. And hey, even if we don't find anything, at least we can map out the area. Ponies are paying big bits to get all the maps updated, and the more information we have, the better."

Serendipity rolled her eyes. "As if we're not going to find anything super cool when you've got me along on the trip. We find all sorts of amazing things on these trips, Hourglass, and you know it."

"And I'm still telling you that I don't buy the idea that you're the only pony from all of Equestria-V that had superpowers and managed to keep them when the worlds merged," Hourglass grunted.

"What can I say? I was born lucky."

Hourglass shook her head, then checked her pocket watch—the same one Sunspire had given her for her birthday years ago—and gave a little nod. "Righto then, I'll give you lot thirty minutes to finish up whatever it was you weren't doing here, then I want you all to clean up and come to my room so we can make sure we've got all our things together."

"But we weren't doing anything," Green Guard muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Serendipity already said—"

"Right, sure you weren't. Thirty minutes," she said, stepping out of the room. "And do try not to be too loud, if you could." She closed the door behind her—the three were smiling at one another as she did so—shook her head, then returned to her room with the intention of having a short nap, hopefully undisturbed.

*****

Gilderoy went to the docking platform on the Arcanium island in the early evening, just an hour or so before the sun would touch the horizon. It had been a long day—every day over the last several years had been a long day—but he didn't have much time to rest. He was never more thankful than now that his technomagic implants had mostly survived the merging of worlds, albeit mostly operating on magic alone these days.

He was just glad that out of all the things that hadn't made the transition properly, at least there was that. It had been bad enough that GAIA had barely made the transition, but she was a glorified search engine at this point, not a proper artificial intelligence. It would take him years to bring her to even one percent of her original capabilities.

A zeppelin descended to a landing with relative ease, though none of the airborne vessels of this new world were quite as graceful as those used by Hope's Point before the merger. They still had an easier time of docking than actual seafaring vessels would, of course, but that was only just so.

Incidentally, the Elysian Islands were no longer floating in the skies above the ocean, but had been reduced to a mundane island chain. "Mundane" was relative, of course, as the old gryphon-made structures were still intact and quite odd-looking compared to the aesthetics of the new world, and the islands still technically "floated" unnaturally; a creature could swim under the island if they wanted to.

But yes, a large zeppelin had arrived this evening, a few hours late unfortunately, but it was of little consequence; Gilderoy was in no position to be picky about the punctuality of others these days.

Though it had taken him some time—a week, terribly long for someone of his talents—to learn the aesthetics of the airborne vessels of the new world, he'd memorized them all by now. They were all quite different, but easily recognizable. This particular zeppelin happens to belong to the native griffons of Griffonstone, as told by the wooden make of the main craft.

After landing, a boarding platform lowered and a trio of griffons descended the ramp down to the flat dock below, just as Gilderoy himself was arriving. The vessel was much too large to be used for carrying just three griffons, though that much was obvious. It was easy to tell that two of the three were just guards or assistants, and that one, the female, was in charge.

"Greetings, friends, and welcome to the Elysian Islands," Gilderoy said, giving the trio a slight bow and a warm smile. "I have been expecting you, though I was not expecting such a tremendous arrival. Your vessel is quite large for such a small entourage."

"Huh?" the female said, tilting her head and glancing at the zeppelin. "Oh! Right. Well that's because we're not the only ones here. The rest of my… 'entourage' are getting things together before we start unloading stuff."

Gilderoy raised an eyebrow. "'Unloading'? Whatever do you mean? I was under the impression that I was expecting the arrival of an ambassador from Griffonstone and nothing more."

"Yeah, well, consider this a little surprise, then," the griffon said with a grin. "It took a little bit of convincing but the griffons are ready to help out a fellow… uh, gryphon in need. I know they're pronounced the same, but we spell it differently from you, if I remember right. Right?"

"Quite correct, my dear, quite correct. Though given that I am the undisputed leader of what's left of my people, I think that it goes without saying that I've put a lot of thought into adopting the spelling that the natives use, so as to avoid confusion."

"Oh. Well that's handy. You're sure that's alright?"

"Yes, well, I highly doubt that the other one hundred gryphons in my care are going to object. At least not to that. They do object to eating their vegetables at times, though."

She smirked. "Speaking of which, that's what all these supplies are for: helping you get those hatchlings all raised up. We heard your old caretaker isn't quite up to snuff or something like that? None of us really understood it all that well, but we got the gist of the problem."

"Indeed. GAIA, the former caretaker, did not survive the transfer into this new world quite as well as I did. She still serves as a repository of information, but cannot assist me in caring for the hatchlings directly." He glanced at the boarding ramp, where some griffons were beginning to unload large crates. "I must say, I do appreciate the assistance, if you're willing to lend it."

"And we are. You might be from another world and you might spell 'griffon' differently than we do, but you're one of us, and nowadays, us griffons stick together for the good of the kingdom."

He smiled warmly at her. "Though I suppose the other reason you're here is to negotiate terms with me to integrate the Elysian Islands into the Kingdom of Griffonstone?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Though it's more of an offering for you to join us, rather than a takeover or anything like that," she replied with a smile of her own. "Like I said, we griffons gotta stick together, right?"

"Indeed we do." Gilderoy offered his metal talon over to her to shake. "I don't believe that we've shared a proper, former greeting, however. I'm Lorekeeper Gilderoy, caretaker of the Elysian Islands and steward of all the knowledge of the former Gryphon Empire of Otherworld. And you are?"

The female took his talon in her own and gave it a firm shake. "Name's Gilda. Nice to meet you."

*****

Pandemonia walked along the sandy beach, enjoying the cool night's breeze in her mane. It had taken some getting used to at first, but she rather enjoyed the single moon of this new world compared to the two moons of the old one; it was larger and grander than even the bigger of the two, while also being brighter and white than the smaller. From her understanding, the moonlight over the ocean like this was considered quite romantic by the natives.

As she made her way along, she caught sight of another pony here on the beach with her staring up at the moon, somepony she recognized immediately and was always pleased to see. "Sister!" she called, smiling and approaching Harmonia without a second's hesitation.

Harmonia's physical form was much like her own, tall and slender and impossibly beautiful, but where Pandemonia was dark and sultry, her sister was radiant and pure. Her white coat shone with the same white light as the moon above, her luxurious sky blue mane wreathed around her neck and flowed behind her like a magical scarf.

Harmonia turned at her approach and gave her a smile, and the two sisters met in a loving, familial embrace. "Pandemonia, sister, 'tis a blessing that thou hast come here tonight of all nights."

"I have sought you out for many moons, but only now do I find you? Why are you here? Where have you been? I have not seen you since the two worlds became one."

"Indeed we hath not. Thou hast been… searching for me?"

"Yes. I have taken to traveling this new world of ours, dear sister, seeking out new experiences and tasting local flavors whilst seeking you out. I have made many companions along the way, and visited with friends of old as well. My journey was not unpleasant, but it has driven me forward."

"Ah. Forgiveth me for mine elusive nature, for I didst not intend to hide. After much time spent tending to my former flock and ensuring that they art at peace with their new surroundings, I hath come here to this place to ponder many things."

"Then you were in Utopia all this time?"

"Aye, and nay. I didst travel the new continent that mine old flock know calleth home, but 'twas a brief venture. I hath spent the other years… elsewhere. Searching for something." Harmonia smiled and tilted her head. "But thou hast explored this new world as well? Whatever for? Surely not just for me?"

Pandemonia shook her head. "Though our old world is gone, I did not know it well, at least not what it had become in my absence from it. I regret every loss that was incurred in giving me my freedom, in bringing our worlds together, but I am glad to have a new world, a truly new world, to bombard these physical senses of mine."

"'Tis true that these new forms are quite an interesting experience," Harmonia said, glancing at her hoof. "But 'twould seem that I lacketh the wanderlust that hath taken hold of thee. I spent too long in complacency, dear sister, too long accepting the status quo. This new world hath little place for a failed goddess such as I."

"Harmonia… you did not fail me," Pandemonia said, embracing her sister again, more tightly than before. "Whyever would you think such an awful thought?"

"Because I didst accept Nihila's claims to be thee. When thou didst proclaim that thou wouldst not be called my sister any longer, that thou wouldst only be called Nihila, I accepted it and didst not fight against the change I saw in thee. Because of my cowardice, sister, I condemned thee to slavery under that vile creature's control."

"You have no need to apologize to me for that. And even if you did, I would forgive you. You are my sister. We are bonded together by the same energy, two sides of the same coin. We are as one, Harmonia."

"Thy forgiveness doth warm my heart, but it is mine own forgiveness that I cannot possess." Harmonia shook her head. "That is why I hath come to this place, dear sister. Not truly in exile, for 'tis a peaceful place of joy and serenity, but 'tis an exile nonetheless. I didst not earn the right to walk this world freely as thou hast."

Pandemonia frowned. "Oh, sister, you are wrong in that. I do not wish for you to exclude yourself from this new world so fully." She offered her sister her hoof. "Please, come with me. Partake in these newfound experiences by my side, as only my sister could. It would bring me great exuberance to have you along with me in my travels."

Harmonia considered Pandemonia's hoof for a moment, then let out a sigh. "If thou wouldst truly derive pleasure from my company, dear sister… then mayhap I wouldst consider it…"

"That is all that I ask of you, Harmonia. You and I have spent far too long apart to separate ourselves again because of perceived mistakes."

"Hmm." Harmonia stared up at the moon again, then let her lips curl in a little smile. "An amusing thought hath come to me."

Pandemonia tilted her head. "Oh?"

"I hath heard many tales from the natives of this world over these past few years. 'Tis fortuitous that, if thou hast been seeking me that thou didst finally findeth me here and now, for I hath come here for a reason. A journey of mine own, one might say, to seeketh enlightenment and advice."

"Advice, sister? On what matter?"

"On this one. One us. I seeketh the guidance of those who hath walked similar steps before us." Harmonia smiled and gestured towards the beach ahead. "Wouldst thou like to accompany me? Mayhap we might both learn from others."

Pandemonia smiled. "If it means being by your side again, then there is nothing I would not do."

As the two sisters walked together along the cool beach sands under the light of the moon, they passed by a large wooden sign bidding them welcome to this place, this "Seaward Shoals". Pandemonia wondered just who it was that her sister was seeking that would be able to advise them, but it didn't matter to her. So long as they were reunited, she was happy.

*****

There was a lonesome mountain in the far northern region of the Crystal Empire that had not been disturbed by living creatures in thousands upon thousands of years. It did not appear on any maps and as far as the crystal ponies knew, it didn't even exist. Even the new addition of the zebras of Zeb'ra'den had not yet explored far enough to find it. It was as close to virgin territory as could be.

With a single exception. A lonely cliff on this already lonesome mountain provided a breathtakingly gorgeous view of the surrounding tundra. With a subtle flash and a pop, a pony appeared upon the cliff and gazed out upon the beautiful landscape for only a moment before his attention turned upward, to the starry nighttime sky. He stared at it for a long moment, deep in thought, then let out a quiet sigh of contentment.

Another subtle flash and a pop behind the stallion drew his attention. "I hope you can forgive me for pulling you away from whatever evening plan you might have had, Princess," he said, turning to face the newcomer. "It has certainly been some time since we've talked."

Twilight Sparkle gave him a rather flat look. "I would normally be in bed right now, actually. Sleeping."

He gave her a small grin. "Then forgive me for disturbing your rest. The point stands: we have not spoken for some years now. Even after our worlds combined, you and I have hardly shared so much as a simple conversation."

"That tends to happens when you step away from the world scene. I'm actually impressed; your reputation would lead me to believe that you'd want to have a hoof in ensuring everything is going according to plan."

"I understand that you do not have a very high opinion of me—"

"No, I don't. And I know that there are others who share my opinion," Twilight said tersely. "After everything you did to accomplish your plans in your world, I find it unfair that you get to get away with it all. You nearly destroyed an entire race of sapient beings. You murdered countless thousands of ponies over hundreds of years and ensured that the lives of so many would never grow beyond misery."

Silvertongue shook his head and sighed. "Karmic justice hardly seems your style, Princess, though you certainly possess the power needed to mete it out. Though, am I not mistaken that in the past, you have offered friendship and forgiveness to many individuals responsible for comparable atrocities?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "If you're referring to Starlight Glimmer, she—"

"Made her decisions entirely out of misguided malice and hatred, fully intending to destroy countless timelines with the sole purpose of revenge. I've done my research, Princess, so don't insult me with your own misguided favoritism. I never pegged you for a hypocrite."

Twilight snorted, then rose up tall. "What do you want, Silvertongue? Why did you call me out here in the middle of the night after years of silence?"

Silvertongue turned from her and gestured out into the empty expanse of ice and snow below the mountain. "Look out there, Princess, and tell me what you see."

Twilight glanced out over the cliff, then turned to him. "Just an empty field of snow. I don't even know where we actually are, to be honest."

Silvertongue clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk. Such a straightforward answer." He turned out and looked upon the snow himself. "I see two things: peace, and beauty. This part of your world is unexplored by any civilized race, untouched by hoof or claw or paw. Untainted by the worst parts of society: greed, hate, cruelty.

"But I also see something else: loneliness. There is no one here to experience these beautiful sights, save for us at this moment. I'd hazard a guess that you and I are the first living things to ever look upon this vista. And what a lovely sight it is, no?"

Twilight turned back to the cliff, paused, then sighed and nodded. "Yes. Yes it is." Back to him. "What's your point? You didn't just call me out here to show me a lovely vista, surely."

He smirked. "Yes, actually, I did."

"...why?"

"Because your world—ourworld—is beautiful, Princess, and yet it has not even been fully explored. There is so much beauty and splendor left for the mortal races of the world to see that they cannot even begin to understand. Not just for those who originate from this world proper, but for those from my world.

"And they would have never had the opportunity to experience such wonders if not for the involvement of you and your friends. My daughters would not even exist if not for you and your friends. I would have never been able to be with my Heart again, brief though our reunion was, if not for you and your friends." With a deep nod, he concluded: "Thank you. For all you have done."

Twilight blinked. "You... I mean... um... you're welcome?" Twilight sputtered. "I really don't know what to say. I wasn't expecting this, least of all from you. I don't understand..."

"Is it truly so difficult for you to come to terms with the fact that the atrocities I committed were not done lightly? That I did not want to do them? But had I not taken those actions, not sacrificed those lives, countless more would have been lost to stop Nihila when she inevitably rose again."

"So you've said. That doesn't mean you should be forgiven."

"Do you really think that I expect forgiveness? That I even want it? You misunderstand my intention. I don't say this to excuse my actions. I say it so that you understand that you don't understand. You have never had to be in the sort of situations I have; you have never had to perform the calculus of war. And I hope that you never do. For can you really say that you wouldn't make the same decision when lives are in the balance? Innocent lives? The lives of your friends and family?"

"...no," Twilight replied, brow furrowed. "I suppose that unless I was placed in such a situation, I don't know for sure what I'd do. But I would exhaust every possibility before I even considered sacrificing a single life."

"Hmm. Perhaps." Silvertongue shook his head. "Your experience with your friend Starlight Glimmer should have taught you that even the slightest change to one's circumstances in life can have far-reaching consequences in their actions, their motives, their futures."

He looked at the stars again, then smiled and sighed. "Had even the slightest event transpired differently, Princess, who's to say what might have happened? Your dear Winter Glow could probably tell you quite a lot about such things, no doubt. I wonder... hmm..." He chuckled. "I wonder if circumstances had been different for us, would you and I be enemies? Friends? A mystery for the ages. Food for thought."

Twilight tilted her head, then sighed and nodded. "I suppose so. Lord Silvertongue... I might find your past to be despicable, but I have seen the way you treat your daughters. I don't like the idea that you've escaped punishment for the horrors you unleashed on your world... but it's not my place to enforce judgement on you. And so long as you continue to treat your daughters well, I can't bring myself to judge you either."

Silvertongue looked to her and nodded deeply again. "I accept your decision then, in good faith. Though you needn't worry about me treating my daughters with anything less than the love that they deserve."

"Good. Then I have nothing more to say. Enjoy your evening."

"And you as well, Princess."

Twilight disappeared with a flash and a pop so minute that even Silvertongue barely noticed.

Once she was gone, Silvertongue turned back towards the sight of the field of ice and snow below and smiled to himself.

The End

Prologue: Return

Rainbow Dash entered Canterlot airspace just before noon, having made fantastic time from Cloudsdale. Not a record-breaking time unfortunately, but still pretty darn close, and she knew that if she'd given it another percent or two of effort she'd have probably broken her old record. She blamed the morning meeting for putting her off her game; she was still getting used to how the Wonderbolt officer meetings worked and it sometimes left her a little stressed out.

She came in for a landing just inside the Royal Palace's garden, coming in hot—as she liked to do, for show of course—and sending up a blast of air and dust as she did so. Two of the guards stationed nearby shielded their eyes and sputtered slightly at her entrance, but one of them recovered and swiftly approached her, horn alight and with a steely-eyed expression.

"Halt!" he called, stamping his hoof. "State your name and business—"

"Second-Lieutenant Rainbow Dash of the Wonderbolts," Rainbow said nonchalantly, touching her hoof to her shoulder to show off her officer stripes but otherwise paying more attention to brushing dust off her uniform. "Here for my monthly Friendship Council meeting with Princess Twilight. I've got clearance."

The guard raised an eyebrow and glanced at his fellow who gave a little shrug, then turned back to Dash, still steely-eyed. "Be that as it may, you are aware that we have a front gate for proper entrances, right? Her Highness insists on keeping things organized, especially visitors."

Dash smirked and shrugged. "Yeah, sorry about that, but I was running a little late. Caught up in Cloudsdale all morning with Wonderbolts business. The Princess'll forgive me for doing things my way just this once. Speaking of which, I should get moving, so if you'll excuse me?"

"Hold on now, wait just a minute. We still have to get this all cleared up—"

"Dashie!" shouted Pinkie Pie, who came rushing down the path from the palace itself like a rocket. "You made it!"

Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, then paused, eyes wide, as Pinkie leapt into the air and glomped onto her, hugging her like a vice. She was pretty sure she'd bruised a rib. "P-Pinkie… too tight…" she breathed, tapping Pinkie's barrel with her hoof.

"Oops! Sorry," Pinkie giggled as she loosened her grip and planted a kiss on Rainbow's forehead. "I'm just excited to see you. I was worried! You're late, you silly goose! Being late is the most un-Rainbow thing ever!"

"Yeah, I know, but you know I had that Wonderbolts meeting to handle first. It's not my fault Twi rescheduled our monthly meeting for this month to today. She'll understand."

Pinkie turned to the guards, her smile becoming business-like and serious rather than playful. "Not to worry, Sergeant! Second-Lieutenant Rainbow Dash is a good egg, and the Princess is expecting her! And me, actually. So you guys can go back to standing guard again. You're doing a fantastic job, by the way."

"It's Sergeant Major, actually…" the guard mumbled as he returned to his post.

Pinkie grabbed Rainbow's hoof and dragged her along up the path towards the palace entrance, though Pinkie more bounced along than walked, which worked out since Rainbow flew along at a snail's pace by her side. Well, a relative snail's pace; it was normal walking speed for a normal pony, but that was too slow for Dash.

"Sooo, how was the meeting, honey?" Pinkie asked. "Your first big officer meeting! How cool is that?!"

Rainbow shrugged. "Eh, pretty dull all things considered. It's funny, but I thought moving my way up in the Wonderbolts ranks would mean discussing flight shows and developing new maneuvers and stuff. I mean, it is, but it's also a lot of, uh… logistics and stuff."

"Logistics?"

"Yeah, like… math. Like making sure we've got supplies and stuff, figuring out rotation schedules for patrol routes, things like that." Rainbow scratched her chin. "I always figured Spitfire just took care of everything, but she delegates a lot of duties to the officers. Takes the pressure off, I guess. Kind of like how Twi has us helping her out with leading Equestria."

Pinkie smiled wide. "Cooool! So what's your delegated duty? Training new recruits? Developing flight plans for the next big show? Ooh ooh, scheduling that next flight show? 'Cause you should bring it to Ponyville!"

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. "Naw, I'm responsible for assigning the new trainees to their barracks and guiding them along at the academy. Kinda like their RA, like when kids go to college for the first time. The other lower officers rotate the role around every semester, and it's my turn this time."

Pinkie's eyes lit up with stars and sparkles. "That's so cool! You're like the first friendly face these new recruits are gonna see! You're the coolest, Dashie!"

"Huh… yeah, I guess I am basically the face of the Wonderbolts to them, aren't I? Never thought of it like that." Rainbow nodded with certainty. "Awesome." As they entered the main palace doors—the palace hadn't changed a bit since Twilight took over—she asked, "So, I guess I'm the last one here?"

"Yup! Everypony's been waiting on you, which is like, super duper the opposite of how it usually goes.. That's what Applejack kept saying when the others got here, anyway, since she kept expecting the next pony to walk in to be you. She'll probably say so to you too. So, y'know, fair warning."

Rainbow snickered. "Heh, typical AJ. Thanks, Pinks."

Sure enough, as soon as she and Pinkie made their way through the long palace halls and arrived at the foyer to the Friendship Council Chambers, Applejack stamped her hoof and, with a big smile on her face, called out, "There she is! Y'know, Rainbow, usually y'all're the one complainin' 'bout everypony else keepin' ya waitin', but here ya are, doin' it ta us."

"Told you," Pinkie whispered to Dash.

"Yeah, no kidding," Dash whispered back. She then brightened and glanced about the room, where her other friends—sans Twilight at the moment—were waiting. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but there was a Wonderbolts meeting scheduled this morning. And of course Soarin held us up a bit because he wanted to go over the catering for the rally next week. Again."

"It's perfectly alright, darling," said Rarity from her spot seated in one of the comfortable chairs in the foyer—she'd picked the set out herself three months ago and had them arranged the way she liked them.

She was notably the only one of them apart from Rainbow that was dressed, but that went without saying. It wasn't quite cold enough to be wearing winter coats yet in Rainbow's opinion, but Rarity was dressed for cooler weather anyway in a fancy cloak with a faux-fur collar sprinkled with diamond dust. Rainbow only knew any of that because Rarity had gone over it in detail the last time that she wore it.

"You might be a tad bit late, but we all understand. Duty calls, as they say." Rarity then raised an eyebrow and looked Rainbow up and down. "I see you're still in uniform."

Rainbow tilted her head. "Yeah, I came straight here, didn't have time to get changed."

"Same design as always. I don't suppose Captain Spitfire has considered my request to give the Wonderbolts a little redesign yet?"

"I'll say it again Rares, but you'd have better luck convincing a fish to stop swimming or a bee to stop making honey," Rainbow said, proudly sticking out her chest. "These colors have been traditional for the Wonderbolts for generations. Blue for the sky that we call our home, yellow for the lightning that we strike like: swift and strong. A holdover from the old military days."

"All of which is just fascinating, dear, but I didn't intend to change the colors, just the style." Rarity both sighed and shrugged dramatically, like it was the most important thing in the world. "But it is what it is, I suppose. Maybe I'll try again when new leadership comes around that might be more considerate of my expertise in the field?"

Rainbow didn't like the little twinkle in Rarity's eye. It was no secret to the group that Rainbow was gunning for Wonderbolts Captain someday, and that she was a shoe-in for the role if she played her cards right. Which meant that Rarity was implying that she'd try to convince her to alter the uniforms, to put her under the pressure to say "no" to a friend.

Well, Rainbow would just have to cross that bridge when she came to it.

"So, AJ," Rainbow said, turning to Applejack. "How're things back home? Farm still doing okay?"

"Yeah, everythin's doin' alright, far as I'm concerned," Appplejack said, adjusting her stetson. "Could be better, but I can't complain. Crops're doin' great, family's doin' great, but it's still takin' some gettin' used to, y'know, comin' here e'ry month, only seein' some o' y'all when I do. Feels… y'know, strange."

Fluttershy, who'd been quiet thus far, peeped up: "I know what you mean, Applejack. This past year's been all over the place for me. I got so used to having all sorts of exciting adventures—even though they were scary sometimes—that things have just gotten…"

"Boring?" suggested Rainbow.

"Oh goodness no," Fluttershy chuckled, putting a hoof to her lips. "Life could never get boring when I've got Discord around all the time. He's done a wonderful job keeping me entertained and happy. I'm glad I have him around, and I don't know what I'd do without him."

"Why is it still hard to believe he's on our side these days?" Rainbow asked nopony in particular. "It still feels like just yesterday we were trying to keep him from taking over Equestria and turning it into his personal playground."

"Ponies change, Rainbow, and so do other creatures," Fluttershy replied, not upset or stern in the least, but with a tone in her voice that Rainbow knew meant she was serious. "Discord's my friend—our friend—and I couldn't be happier for it. He may be playful and mischievous at times, but he's also incredibly kind and cooperative. And he's been a big help with starting up my animal sanctuary."

"Well, glad to hear that that's goin' well," Applejack said, tipping her hat. "Been meanin' ta ask ya how it's workin' out, but it's been a busy harvest this year."

Fluttershy shook her head. "It's just that… it always feels like something's missing. It's hard to explain, but I think you guys understand what I mean."

Pinkie nodded sagely. "Exactly! You know what we need? An adventure! Something exciting to get us back in the swing of things!" She tapped her chin, biting her tongue in the process. "But what kind of exciting, crazy adventure could we even go on these days? We beat up all the bad guys and all the races of the world are living in harmony."

"Yeah, we've totally got the picture-perfect happy ending going here," Rainbow said. "I'm digging the freedom to pursue my dreams and stuff without worrying about some jerk trying to take over Equestria."

"Yeah, so long as it doesn't turn out that vanquishing the wendigos makes it turn out okay for ponies to divide themselves up and hate each other in the far, far future, everything'll be just fine!" said Pinkie, staring off at… something as she said it with an oddly judgmental look on her face.

Rarity scoffed, ignoring Pinkie's odd tangent. "I, too, don't mind the peace and quiet. I have no idea how I was able to maintain a successful business here in Canterlot for so many years while also dealing with miscreant villains, and I'm perfectly content with how things are now. For the most part, anyway, and going on some sort of adventure isn't going to make things better."

"So business is still doing well, I take it?" Fluttershy asked.

"Naturally, darling, as if there was ever any doubt," Rarity said with a confident smile as she fluffed her mane slightly. "I'm thankful that I've been able to capitalize on recent events to make a killing in the fashion world, and I certainly plan to keep up the pace.

"It's one thing being a prestigious designer for ponies, but being one of the first to jump into the fray of making fashion for other races is, well, exciting. Griffins have different tastes from yaks, who have different tastes from hippogriffs, and the changelings' tastes in clothes are just all over the place." She gave a satisfied sigh. "I relish the challenge."

"So, uh, not to interrupt or anything, but if I was late, where's Twi?" asked Rainbow, glancing about. "She moved this whole shindig up two days and we're all still out here in the waiting area like we're at the dentist. We've never had to wait before, so what gives?"

"Miss Inkwell came in before you got here to let us know Twilight was almost ready for us," Pinkie said with a grin. "She must be preparing something."

"Preparing something? I never heard anything about her preparing anything. Did she say anything to you guys?" Rainbow asked the others.

Collectively, they shook their heads, except Rarity, who nudged a large bag near her chair that Rainbow had noticed but not paid much attention to until just now. "Only a little bit, dear, but she'll be dreadfully upset with me if I say anything more. I'm not even sure exactly why I did it yet, either, but I've got a few ideas."

Rainbow scratched her head. "Huh?"

Then, the large doors at the other side of the room opened, and Twilight was waiting on the other side. "Hello, everypony!" she greeted, a wide smile on her face. "Glad you guys could make it. Sorry about the rescheduling, but trust me, you'll be happy once you know what I've got planned for today's meeting. It's a surprise!"

The group—again, sans Rarity—gawked at Twilight briefly. Rainbow blurted out what she knew everypony else was thinking: "Whoa, Twi, are you getting taller or are my eyes messing with me?"

"Hmm?" Twilight briefly glanced down at herself, then at Rainbow with a smile. "Oh, right, none of you have seen me since last month except for Rarity. Um… yes, I did get taller. About two weeks ago, I had a little growth spurt and woke up one morning like this."

She spread her wings—also longer than usual—and gestured down at her elongated limbs and slightly larger frame. Even her mane had grown longer and a little wavy, though it still had its distinct colors and the ever-recognizable bangs.

"She's almost exactly the same size as Cadance is," Rarity chimed in as she looked over Twilight, hoof to her chin. "I still have her measurements memorized from making her wedding dress. Twilight's just slightly taller, but not as slender." With a titter, Rarity added, "Though I wouldn't expect many mares to possess a figure like Cadance's."

Twilight gave a little nervous grin. "Yeah, well, it was a little awkward waking up that morning and not realizing that I'd grown bigger. It took me a month to memorize the path from my bed to the bathroom, but since I had a longer stride than I was used to and wasn't fully awake yet, I, uh… sort of ran into the wall."

Rainbow snickered; picturing her friend, the ruler of Equestria, running into a wall while half-asleep was just amusing. "You didn't break anything, didja?"

"No, I just suffered a little pang of embarrassment, that's all. I'm still trying to readjust to the new size, so… don't judge me if I do anything that looks weird that should look normal otherwise. Okay? I'm still finding it awkward sitting down in chairs."

"Hey, no judgin' here," Applejack said, holding up a hoof. "With the growth spurt that Apple Bloom just went through, y'all won't get anythin' but sympathy from me. Darn filly grew 'bout five years in one, I tell ya what. E'ry doggone day was a hassle fer her, gettin' used ta all the changes so fast."

"Oof, tell me about it," Rarity said. "Sweetie Belle's going through the same ordeal. I think she's finally settled down, so things should get back to 'normal' soon enough, but goodness if it wasn't aggravating to have to adjust her clothes' fit every other week. I'm glad I had the foresight to ensure the dresses I made are stitched of easily-adjusted materials."

"That's only 'cause y'all insist she keep wearin' clothes," Applejack said, tilting her stetson up. "Y'know she don't gotta, right? Apple Bloom don't wear nothin' but her bow, an' I think the only other kid in their class that wears anythin' at all is their friend Diamond, and that's just a lil' tiara."

"Of course not, but Sweetie's a very fashion-conscious young mare, and heaven forbid I, of all ponies, prevent her from her desire to express herself however she sees fit." Rarity opened her coat slightly to show off the red dress she was wearing underneath, which Rainbow thought looked familiar. "After all, I express myself all the time."

"That's just 'cause you're advertisin' yer business."

Rarity huffed and closed up her coat again. "I'll have you know that it's more than just advertising, thank you. A beautiful mare in a beautiful dress attracts all sorts of attention, and some of us like attention." She glanced at Rainbow. "Wouldn't you agree, Rainbow? If anypony here appreciates being the center of attention, it's you."

Rainbow looked between the two briefly, then held up her hooves and chuckled. "Hey, don't drag me into this little lovers' quarrel."

"Uh, Dashie, Applejack and Rarity aren't lovers," Pinkie helpfully noted. After a glance between the two mares in question, though, she tilted her head. "Though they do argue like an old married couple sometimes."

"We do not!" Applejack and Rarity said in unison.

"See? Maybe they are—"

Applejack held up her hoof. "Pinkie, lemme just stop ya right there 'fore ya start rattlin' off reasons ya think me 'n' Rarity are knockin' boots. 'Cause we ain't."

Pinkie steepled her hooves, raised an eyebrow, and stared at Applejack and Rarity for a moment, then nodded sagely again. "Yeah, okay, I buy it. Shame though. I bet in some other reality, you two are like the perfect couple. A total 'opposites attract' scenario goin' on there, yessir."

"Yes, well, thank goodness that's not this reality," Rarity said, rolling her eyes.

Twilight coughed into her hoof gently to draw attention back to her and away from Pinkie's tangent. "So, right, sorry to keep you all waiting—"

"S'alright, Twi, Rainbow was late anyway," Applejack said, pointing at Rainbow and giving a little shrug.

Rainbow grunted. "Hey! She wouldn't have even known if you didn't say anything! And besides that, it wasn't my fault!"

"Just sayin'."

"And it doesn't bother me that you were, Rainbow," Twilight said with an understanding grin. "Like I said, I'm sorry that I had to reschedule this month's meeting, especially on short notice like I did, but some big developments came up in the past two weeks, and… well, you'll see why in just a moment, if everypony will follow me?"

The group collectively moved to follow Twilight into the meeting chamber proper, where it was clear that things had indeed changed since their last meeting. Nothing too big, as the layout was the same, with a central table surrounded by chairs, and walls decorated with stained glass windows that depicted each member of the Friendship Council. And though the Elements of Harmony no longer played a role in their lives like they once had, their insignias—really just their Cutie Marks but fancy—were used to designate the seats.

The only difference now was that the Friendship Map had been moved into the center of the room, where there was normally just a simple round table. It reminded Rainbow of how the old meeting room looked many years ago, before Twilight had converted her old castle into a school and when they all used to go on regular adventures.

"So you all might be wondering why the Friendship Map is here today," Twilight said, cutting off anypony that was likely to ask about it. "I had Starlight ship it over here from the school for a very specific purpose, which I'll get into in a moment. Go on, everypony, get seated. We have a lot to discuss."

Rainbow and the others took their usual seats around the table-like map, and Rainbow felt a little nostalgic for the years that had gone by. She remembered the first time she'd walked into Twilight's castle when it had literally magically appeared, the first time she'd glanced around the sweet-looking meeting chamber that came with a throne-like chair with her Cutie Mark on it—and other chairs with the others' marks too, of course. The current chairs were similar but had been built that way, not formed out of thin air.

She especially remembered the first time the map had activated and given them their first "friendship problem" to solve together. It was still… awkward looking back on it these days. It wasn't rare for her and her friends to make up with folks that were antagonistic towards them early on, but Starlight Glimmer's little cult community was… different. Still, that was all in the past, and Starlight was a good friend to them all now, so whatever, let bygones be bygones.

Twilight took her seat last—an actual throne fit for a princess, though not because Twilight had insisted—and then took a breath before she started talking again; Rainbow knew this meant Twilight was about to go on a long spiel, so she leaned back a bit to get comfortable.

"Last year, Celestia and Luna officially retired and I was crowned as the Princess of all of Equestria," Twilight said, a little twinge of anxiousness in her voice. "I'm still amazed that I—that we—have been able to keep things together this past year, but I'm so proud of all of us for making it happen. I'll admit, I was afraid when I first took the throne, afraid that I wasn't ready, that I'd mess it all up somehow…

"But, thanks to some of the greatest friends a pony could ever ask for," she said with a wide smile as she looked to the others, "I've been able to survive through my first year as the Princess Twilight Sparkle. I couldn't have done it without all of you by my side, supporting me and helping me through each and every situation that's cropped up, big or small."

"Shucks, Twi, y'all ain't gotta get all mushy on us 'bout that," Applejack said with a grin, leaning over and patting Twilight's shoulder. "We're honored ta have ya as our friend, an' friends always help friends out when they're in need, right?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie cheered, leaping out of her seat briefly. "We'd be here by your side even if you wanted us to be here more than once a month! We'd be here every week if you wanted, or every day." She then set both of her hooves firmly on the table, a dead serious look in her eyes. "If you asked me to, Twilight, I'd be here every single second of the day. And nopony here would say anything different, right girls?"

Nopony outwardly actually agreed with Pinkie—she had a habit of taking things too far—but the sentiment of their collective agreement was that Twilight could depend on them no matter what, though they hoped she didn't need them to be here that often. At least, that was what Rainbow felt; she'd fly here at the drop of a hat if Twilight asked, but she'd have to think hard if Twilight asked her to live in the palace with her so she could be on call.

"Thanks girls," Twilight said. "Anyway, my point is that you've been friends to me for more than just the past year. I've had you to rely on for years now, and I've done my best to be there for you all the same. I'd never change anything about all of that." She then lit up her horn, and poofed a large scrapbook in front of her. "And that's why I appreciate this gift that Starlight gave to me so much. I cherish it; it's my most treasured possession in all the world."

Twilight opened it up and flipped through the pages to prove her point, though everypony in the group already knew what the scrapbook was. Rainbow had honestly been impressed that Starlight had been able to collect so much from all of their collective adventures, even from before Twilight became famous as an alicorn princess. That took dedication; Rainbow would never deny that Starlight was always dedicated to whatever task she set out on, sometimes to extremes that made Twilight look tame.

"However, as much as I love and appreciate this gift that Starlight gave me, I could never tell her that there's just one flaw in it," Twilight continued, dramatically closing the book.

"A flaw?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, just one. One that I could never tell her about, and one that even if I did tell her about, that she'd never be able to fix." Twilight sighed and shook her head. "There's an adventure that we all embarked on many years ago, and yet this scrapbook contains no evidence of it. This little book contains excerpts of our lives together as friends for years, and yet it's missing something."

Rainbow tilted her head for a moment in thought, then perked up. "Oh! I get it, you mean that other Equestria? With Havoc and Flathoof and all those tall buildings and stuff?"

Twilight grinned and nodded. "Precisely. Seven years ago today, we encountered the tear in the Void that sent us to that other world. There's no way that Starlight could possibly provide excerpts of our time there, even if she knew all about the adventures we had in that world, even if we were allowed to tell her about them in the first place. All we brought back with us from that other world were the clothes we were wearing, and the memories in our hearts."

Pinkie leaned over to Dash and whispered, "And a certain toy that somepony enjoys very much." She then wiggled her eyebrows while biting her lip.

Dash, slightly red in the face, nudged Pinkie and whispered back, "And Twi doesn't want to hear about that."

Rarity smirked and nodded knowingly. "Ah, now I understand why you asked me to do this little project of yours."

"Yes, Rarity, and thank you again for doing it on such short notice," Twilight said, returning the nod. "I'll let you do the honors."

"It will be my pleasure."

"What's all this about a project?" Applejack asked as Rarity, her bag carried along in her magic, stepped around the table to come to her first.

Rarity opened the bag and hoisted out a familiar red plaid shirt. "Earlier this week, Twilight asked me for a big favor, one which she wanted to keep a secret from all of you until now. As she said, apart from the memories of our time in that other world, the only other thing we brought with us were the clothes on our backs. And, as you'll recall, I refused to just let you throw them away."

"Pshaw, ain't like we need ta wear clothes all the time 'round here, Rares," Applejack scoffed as she looked at the shirt. "I still ain't sure why y'all wanted ta keep 'em."

"For prosperity, I suppose. A little memento. I'll admit to having worn this dress of mine many times before now," Rarity said as she gestured down at the red lace dress she was wearing under her winter coat.

Now Rainbow realized where she recognized it from; she wasn't a fashion-conscious mare by any stretch, but she was pretty certain that a dress like that was quite a—heh—rarity in their own Equestria, but not so much in that other Equestria.

It was a little too revealing—a weird concept considering ponies rarely wore clothes anyway—and showed off Rarity's lovely figure just a little too well, but then Rainbow supposed that was why Rarity was wearing a winter coat over it even though it wasn't that cold out. Rarity probably wouldn't want to strut around in public wearing it; it might draw attention, but maybe the wrong kind.

Rainbow had to wonder where it was, exactly, that Rarity had worn a dress like that over the years.

"So, what, ya saved 'em 'cause ya thought we'd wanna wear 'em again?" Applejack asked, scratching her head.

"Ironically, yes, considering that Twilight asked me if I could remake them for a special occasion." Rarity glanced over at Twilight with a coy smile. "She was pleasantly surprised when I told her that all I needed to do was just touch up the old ones. A little cleaning, a little sewing to adjust for new fits, and voilà. Our old clothes born anew, like a phoenix from the ashes."

Applejack took the shirt from Rarity, looked it over for a minute, then shrugged and put it on, though with a little help from Rarity's magic. It was a typical sort of work shirt that even ponies in their world sometimes wore to protect themselves from the elements, though it wasn't commonplace. Most folks would just wear a hat and call it a day, like Applejack did practically always, at most putting on a scarf or a jacket when it was cold.

Rarity grinned as she helped adjust the fit, then patted Applejack's chest gingerly. "There we are, darling, looking just as I remembered. Better even, since at least now this shirt of yours is clean and doesn't smell like the week-old stink of sweat."

"Psh, a shirt like this is meant ta get covered in sweat 'n' grease 'n' such," Applejack sniffed, running her hoof over the sleeve. "Ain't make no sense fer it ta be all clean as a whistle. Just gotta be clean enough that it don't smell awful, an' it never smelt awful as far as I remember."

"Speak for yourself. When I took this shirt from you, it absolutely reeked of something awful. Now hush, darling, and tell me if it feels comfortable. I used the measurements I took last year for Twilight's coronation, so hopefully it fits. You look just as muscular as I remember, but you never know."

"It's… well, it's perfect, actually," Applejack muttered, adjusting her stetson. "Feels just like it did last time I wore it. I think. Hard ta know fer sure seein' as that was seven years ago I last wore it, yeah? But I don't remember it ever bein' tight or loose or nothin', an' this is even better than that."

"Well, as long as you're satisfied with the fit, then I'm satisfied."

Rarity then moved on to Pinkie and Fluttershy, and provided them both with their old outfits from when they returned home all those years ago. For Pinkie, a simple baker's outfit complete with an apron just like any that could be found in their own world, but with different colorings and with the logo of the bakery that Pinkie had worked at—The Sweet Spot—emblazoned on the front.

For Fluttershy, just a plain white blouse with a long green skirt that had been decorated with pink butterflies, though Rainbow could tell that a lot of attention was put into the details that she hadn't seen before, namely that the butterflies looked realistic, as if they'd just landed on the skirt and settled there.

Next, for Rainbow, Rarity provided the old flight jacket that she—like Applejack with her work shirt—had picked out of a junk pile at a police station just to satisfy the need for clothes in the other world; everypony else in their group had replaced their makeshift original outfits, but Rainbow and Applejack hadn't cared to do so. Rarity had done a number on the jacket, though, and made it look brand-spanking new and cool as all heck. It fit perfectly, too, just like the others' clothes did.

"Dang, Rares, you outdid yourself on this sucker," Rainbow said as she settled into the jacket.

With it on top of her Wonderbolts uniform, she felt like she'd look at least fifteen percent more boss at the next officer cocktail party. Oh yeah, she was gonna keep this jacket. She actually regretted giving it to Rarity and never asking for it back over all these years.

"Don't let anypony ever tell you you can't make clothes look cool, okay?" she said, patting Rarity's shoulder. "'Cause I'll find 'em and deck 'em for ya if they do."

Rarity blinked, then smirked briefly. "I appreciate that, Rainbow, though I don't think you'll need to 'deck' anypony on my behalf anytime soon."

She then approached Twilight and pulled out a much larger outfit than she had for the others—obviously—and presented it to the princess like it was a treasured possession. "As for you, Twilight, I unfortunately couldn't do anything with your original outfit to make it fit you, especially after your most recent growth spurt. I had originally planned just for wing slits after you became an alicorn, but well, things change, hmm?"

Twilight curiously eyed the outfit that Rarity was holding. "So then, what's this?"

"A recreation," Rarity said simply as she helped Twilight fit into it. "I ordered material for Manehatten to perfectly replicate the original outfit's texture and color."

The new outfit was just as Rainbow remembered it, though on Twilight's new frame it looked sort of… odd, was the best word Rainbow could use. It consisted of a cable-knit sweater and a long pleated skirt, the typical sort of clothes that a librarian would wear if they decided to actually wear clothes.

Rainbow found that thought hard to parse through; she'd not given any consideration to the fact that everypony was usually naked until she started wearing her old outfit again. What was it about clothes that made her notice when others didn't wear them? And why didn't her Wonderbolts uniform make her feel like that?

Also, Twilight looked particularly odd wearing the librarian outfit and her royal tiara. She was glad when Twilight set said tiara aside, because the juxtaposition of regal and plain was off-putting.

Either way, once everypony was dressed, Twilight got the group's attention again by clearing her throat. "So, the clothes are purely for nostalgia's sake, everypony, and if you want to keep them after today, you can. You don't have to wear them now or in the future if you don't want to, but I figured that it would help jog some memories, hmm?"

"I'll say," Applejack agreed. "Just wearin' this here getup again reminds me o' all the haulin' I had ta do at that there warehouse. Heh, I 'member the look ol' Big Mac gave me when we came home an' he saw how much muscle I done got while workin' there, 'specially after I started breakin' applebuckin' records that even he had trouble with."

"I remember all the treats I made and sold at The Sweet Spot!" Pinkie chirped, fanning her apron. "Every single one. Every fakey-fake cookie, pie, cake, donut, milkshake, ice cream sundae, and pudding. They were so close to the real thing, but boy oh boy, it was so nice getting to scarf down some real sweets when we got home. Those cupcakes I made with Red barely held me over!"

Twilight smiled. "And I remember every single colt, filly, stallion, and mare that came to me for help at the library there, and how I had to quickly learn to use their weird computer systems instead of the books that I'm used to." Her smile turned slightly sad. "I remember when Winter complimented me on my outfit when I first put it on. I remember… a lot of things…"

She looked among the others. "Tell me, and be honest: do any of you sometimes think back on things that happened back during our time there? Good thoughts, bad thoughts, it doesn't matter; do those memories come back to you? When you're alone at night, do you think back on friends that you'll never see again? Do you miss them?"

Rainbow didn't need to even consider it. "Yeah, sometimes. When the Wonderbolts get together for friendly skyball games, I constantly think about how much I miss having Havoc with me, whether we're on the same team and kicking tail together, or if we're squaring off and trash-talking each other like there's no tomorrow. Nopony in the Wonderbolts is as good of a blocker as she was."

"I think about Red all the time," Pinkie said, her mane drooping just a little. "I love my family, I love my sisters, and Red, well… she felt like just another sister to me. I called her my Long-Lost-Twin-From-Another-World, and I meant it with all my heart; she felt like she was my twin, another me. She and I were like two sides of a coin! I loved her like family…"

"I know how you feel," Rarity said with a nod. "Insipid felt like a little sister to me in many ways the same as Sweetie Belle does, but… older. Sweetie is several years younger than me. But Insipid was like… well, like Pinkie says, like a twin I never had. I miss her dearly, and constantly regret that I'll never know for sure if her career took off like we'd hoped."

She pawed at the thin strand of gray in her mane; Rarity had been extremely self-conscious about it last month since nopony else was getting gray hairs yet.

Applejack removed her hat and held it over her chest. "Makin' friends wit' Flathoof and his family… well, it was the closest thing I'll ever get to bein' wit' my parents again. I dunno, I guess… I guess they just kinda gave me some closure I didn't even know I needed. I ain't ever gonna forget 'em, just like I can never forget my real parents. Some ponies just leave an impression…"

"Gray was… nice…" Fluttershy muttered, looking at the floor. "I know I'll never meet another pony like her again. She made me feel… safe. Confident. I feel that way with all of you, too, but with her it was… different."

Rainbow noticed Fluttershy's face reddening a bit, and knew exactly why, but didn't say anything since she knew Fluttershy had always been self-conscious about that sort of thing. She understood more than anypony else here would, even if she and Fluttershy weren't exactly alike in that regard, but she got it.

Twilight then straightened up in her seat and gave a firm nod. "So, with that in mind, I decided that remembering things just wasn't enough. It isn't enough to just think fondly on good times with friends, on memories long gone with ponies and places you'll never see again. Most ponies have keepsakes of those sorts of memories, things that help them visualize those thoughts.

"So, when Starlight gave me this scrapbook, and when I realized that there weren't any mementos from our time in that other world other than the outfits—which until recently I didn't even know Rarity had kept—I knew that I had to do something. I had to give us something real."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What're ya talkin' 'bout, Twi?"

"Over the last two weeks, I've been working with Starlight—and Trixie, oddly enough—on the development of a new spell," Twilight said matter-of-factly as she lit up her horn.

The lights of the room dimmed a little, and the Friendship Map started to glow like it used to back in the day. Rainbow watched as the features on it brightened, and memories of those old adventures came flooding back.

Twilight then paused, tilting her head and giving a light shrug. "Well, to be honest, I've been working on the spell for the past six years, but it wasn't until after my growth spurt that we made a breakthrough. It took a lot of work, a lot of experimentation, a lot of materials, and a lot of failing and trying again, but we did it. We finished the spell."

"And this spell does… what, exactly?" asked Rarity, on the edge of her seat just like everypony else.

"It will allow us to 'see' our otherworldly friends again."

The table went silent.

Rainbow spoke up first. "Hang on, like… you're gonna open a portal so we visit them or something?"

Twilight chuckled and shook her head. "No no, nothing like that. Interacting with the Void magic is something that's already extremely difficult to do, and even with Starlight's help, I'm simply not powerful enough to do that on my own. I'd need to be as powerful as Celestia and Luna to do that, and I don't think I'm quite there yet." She paused, then held up a hoof. "Not that I would! I know the kind of danger that represents. No, this is sort of like… a crystal ball."

"A crystal ball? Like the one the fortune tellers use at fairs?" asked Rarity.

"Sort of. The spell will let us 'view' our friends in the other world for a brief moment. We can't interact with them in any way, or vice versa, and there are a few limitations I had to place on the spell to make it safe for us to use so that I don't accidentally tear a hole open in the fabric of the Void."

"Limitations such as…?"

"For one, we'll only be able to see our friends, not hear them. I could do it the other way around—that was a major part of the testing I did—but I felt that that wouldn't be satisfactory enough." She then looked sad——no, heartbroken—for a brief moment. "It's… harder. To hear their voices but not be able to see them. To want to join in their conversation, to ask them a question, to have them acknowledge you again…"

After a pregnant pause, Rainbow cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah, 'cause I bet Havoc is probably swearing up a storm doing whatever it is she's doing!" she said in her best attempt to lighten the mood. "We've got some sensitive ears in this room, y'know, so yeah, visual's probably best."

Twilight took another breath, then was all smiles again. "So! The other limitation is a time limit. I can only keep the connection open for a few minutes, and with Starlight's help I was able to tweak the spell to accommodate exactly six minutes of time—one minute for each of us to spend on one pony each that we want to see."

"You're serious?" Applejack asked, lifting her hat. "This here spell o' yers'll let us see our friends again, if only fer a minute?"

"Yes, it will. I could've probably made it work for longer, but this is Void magic we're talking about," Twilight replied. "I don't know if Summer Rains is still our world's Chronomancer or not, but I'd rather not draw any attention with the spell in case she or whoever thinks there's a danger. Because there isn't. I've tested the spell more than once and it works perfectly. Today's our first field run, but I'm confident in its success."

The group shared anxious looks with one another, then all smiled at Twilight and nodded almost as one.

"Let's do it!" Rainbow said, pumping a hoof.

"You're the best, Twilight!" cheered Pinkie. "This is the best unbirthday present you've ever given me!"

"I would definitely enjoy the chance to see our friends again, if even for a mere moment," Rarity agreed, nose in the air. "Perhaps it will bring us some proper closure, hmm? To know that things are going as well for them in their lives as they are for us in ours?"

Twilight let out a breath of relief. "Thanks, girls. I'm glad you're on board with this."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, it's just… hmm. Nevermind. I don't know, I just thought that maybe you didn't all feel the same way I do. I was worried I was the only one who still… remembered."

Twilight then cleared her throat. "So, I figure the best way to go about this is to take turns, one minute each. We'll go in order, and to be fair, we'll draw straws for it." She procured some straws out of nowhere with her magic. "No alphabetical order, no going by our ages or ranks or whatever. Just pure chance. Does that sound good to everypony?"

"Sounds good to me," Rainbow said, leaning forward and gesturing for a straw. "Just so you know, I'm the best at drawing straws." As she drew the straw from Twilight's magic—which carefully concealed their length—her jaw fell; she'd drawn the shortest straw. "Aw nuts. Guess that means I go last, huh?"

"Them's the breaks, Rainbow. Maybe y'all shouldn't be gettin' too big fer yer britches 'bout drawin' straws," said Applejack as she reached out to draw next. Her straw was barely longer than Rainbow's. "Well horseapples."

"Them's the breaks, right AJ?" Rainbow chortled.

The others all drew as well until the order was determined: Twilight drew the longest and would go first, then Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and lastly Rainbow.

"Okay, everypony," Twilight announced. "Time to prepare the spell. This'll only take a moment, and then we can begin. Is everypony ready?"

"Ready!" they all called out as one.

Twilight took a deep breath and lit up her horn, which caused the lights to flicker and made the Friendship Map glow brighter than ever. Rainbow didn't know anything about magic, but she did know Twilight was a magical genius, so she wasn't worried. If Twilight said she'd taken all of the necessary precautions, then she'd done just that and everything would be fine. Six minutes of nostalgic closure for everypony, and then they could get to proper Friendship Council work.

They'd be done in time for a late lunch.

The Friendship Map continued to glow until eventually it generated an image, exactly as it had always done before when pinpointing a friendship problem that the group needed to solve. Only the image took up the entirety of the table, and it completely erased the actual "map" that was normally there for everypony to see.

Instead, the top of the table became covered with a swirling vortex of energy that looked like a chaotic field of stars, only it was rather faint and calm. It reminded Rainbow of a sink draining water at a slow, steady pace; some of the magical energy even seemed to "splash" around the edges of the bowl. Unlike the portal that Rainbow remembered from all those years ago, there was no sense of pull from the vortex, no sense of danger.

Though it took a few minutes, and though Twilight looked to be straining herself to make it work, eventually the spell seemed to fully take hold and the group was wowed to see an image actually form itself in the "water" of the spell. The image quality wasn't anything special, like watching an old, grainy movie at the local movie theater, but there was no mistaking what they saw.

Winter Glow was an icy blue unicorn mare with a snow white mane. She was shorter than any mare that Rainbow had ever known, so short that she could be confused for a teenager at best and hadn't gotten any bigger in the past seven years. She always wore a purple turtleneck sweater and a matching scarf and beret, and now was no exception.

By Winter's side was another filly, roughly the same height as Winter but clearly younger judging by her facial structure, dressed in a black mare's tuxedo with a small, matching top hat. Her coat was the color of vanilla pudding, her mane a pinkish purple. With the way she followed Winter's lead, it was clear that Winter was some sort of guide or instructor.

The pair was traveling through what looked like some sort of cave system, though the lighting made it hard to tell anything more than that. Winter's horn lit up the walls around them enough that everypony could see that the cavern was encrusted with what looked like gemstones of varying colors.

Rainbow didn't pay too much attention to the two ponies in the viewing pool, though. She was more focused on Twilight's face. She knew the look that Twilight had in her eyes, she knew what the small, sad smile meant.

Twilight had never said it out loud to any of them, but Rainbow knew that their little group had all figured out by now that Twilight and Winter had grown close during that little adventure. It was clear as day just looking at Twilight now that none of them wanted to see that world again—to see their friends again—more than her.

"Winter seems to be doing well for herself, doesn't she?" said Rarity, gently putting her hoof on Twilight's side. "Still physically fit and everything, hmm?"

"She does," Twilight said quietly, not taking her eyes off the pool. With a small smile, she added, "She's just as short as I remember. And I'm much taller now than I was then, too. I bet she'd be so tiny next to me nowadays…"

"Who's that other mare with her?" asked Fluttershy, tilting her head.

"Looks like they're talkin' 'bout somethin'," Applejack said, scratching her chin. "Ya sure we can't hear 'em and figure out what it is?"

"No, we can't do both," Twilight said, shaking her head. "Though in my testing over the years, I did manage to listen in briefly without any visual manifestations. I won't say I'm completely certain, but I'd bet that this other mare is her apprentice, Hourglass I believe. I can't be totally sure since it's not like I ever heard her appearance described before, but I'm getting that feeling here just by looking at them."

As the minute time limit approached, the group saw Winter suddenly stop for half a moment and, after checking her little pocket watch—which was glowing a pathetically faint green—stared straight towards them, as if there was a hidden camera following her and she'd managed to finally spot it. The viewing pool closed before anything else could happen, though, leaving just the familiar field of stars behind.

"Did… did she just look at us?" Rainbow asked. "I thought you said they wouldn't be able to see us?"

Twilight's brow furrowed. "Well, this is a manipulation of Void magic, and her Timekeeper—that little pocket watch—is capable of detecting Void anomalies. It stands to reason that it detected my spell, if only for an instant." She shook her head. "But I know that it'll just show up as a minor blip. Like a hint of static during a radio broadcast."

"Me next!" Pinkie cheered, all smiles. "I wanna check in on Red!" She paused briefly, ears flattening out. "Uh, but… be ready to close it up quick though, in case she's doing anything, y'know, kinky. That's kinda Red's thing, y'know, and I don't want to tick off the censors. This is a kid's show!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Twilight murmured.

She lit up her horn again, and the swirling vortex took shape once more, this time showing a view of none other than Red Velvet, Pinkie's friend from that other world.

The two mares had an uncanny resemblance apart from how they styled their manes and tails—Pinkie's were curly and poofy, Red's were long and straight—all the way down the the very last detail as far as they could tell; Rainbow often wondered just how physically similar the two were, if only because she considered herself an expert. Red wore a rather simple blouse and skirt, not at all the provocative sort that Rainbow remembered the other mare preferring.

Pinkie's smile fell slightly, though, because Velvet didn't appear to be in what could be described as a good mood.

She was in what looked like a small hospital room, and there was an earth pony colt on the bed who looked like he was hooked up to a bunch of monitors. The colt was no more than ten or eleven, and had a brown coat and a darker brown mane, with a dark patch around his muzzle. He was alert and reading a book aloud, and looked as though he was struggling with the process.

By Velvet's side, seated in another chair, was a young pegasus filly about the same age as the colt, golden brown in coat with a strawberry-blonde mane. She, too, was reading aloud from a book, though she didn't look like she was struggling quite as much. In fact, she looked like she was trying to help, if her sympathetic expression was any clue.

"Something bad must've happened…" Pinkie muttered as she leaned back in her seat.

"I mean… maybe, yeah," Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her head. "Orrr, maybe Red's just visiting a children's hospital or something? Doing charity work! She seems like the kind of pony that'd love to do that, just like you are. You visit the one in Canterlot every year, dressed up like a clown to make the colts and fillies laugh."

Pinkie shook her head. "But I always have a smile on my face when I'm doing that, because I have to show off my positivity. Red looks… sad. Something happened; she knows that colt, and she's visiting him because something bad happened. I had that look when I visited you when you were in the hospital, remember?"

"Well, maybe he's her kid or something? Or maybe the filly is? We know Red, y'know, enjoyed stallions, like, a lot," Rainbow suggested. "I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if she had a kid by now."

"Rainbow, dear, far be it from me to question the insinuation you're giving of Miss Velvet's character, but that's just not possible," Rarity scoffed. "Those two youngsters look to be about ten or eleven. We left seven years ago, so unless she had a three-year-old foal of her own and just never told anypony about it—"

The viewing pool closed; the minute was up.

"It was nice seeing her again, even if it wasn't the best time to look in on her," Pinkie said, stroking her chin. "And now I'm worried about what's going on. Twilight, is there any way that we could do this again? So that I can check up on her maybe?"

Twilight tilted her head. "I suppose that I could make that happen, sure. The Friendship Map doesn't really have enough juice to support this spell often, though, so it might be a while before we could do this again. But I'd never object to something like that, especially if it's important to you guys."

Pinkie nodded. "Thanks, Twi. You're a peach."

"I suppose that means I'm next," Rarity said, leaning back in her seat and taking a stressed breath. "Only one minute for one pony to look in on though? Truly?"

"I'm afraid so," Twilight replied. "Trying to do something more complicated would stretch the spell's limitations, and that could cause issues.

"Hmph. That certainly does make things complicated, doesn't it?"

"What d'ya mean?" Applejack asked. "Ya just tell Twilight who ya wanna check in on, and poof, there ya go. 'Tain't so hard."

"It is when you have two wonderful friends that you want to check up on, darling," Rarity huffed. "On one hoof, I have my dear friend Insipid, who I'm certain is making a name for herself in the modeling world by now, and I would love to see how the fashion trends have changed since we left. On the other hoof, there's Lockwood, who I consider a true friend in every meaning of the word, and who did so, so much for all of us."

Applejack tipped her stetson gently. "Hmm, yeah, I see yer point. Can't be easy if'n ya ain't sure where they're gonna be, I guess. I mean, y'all know who I'm gonna pick, an' I'm crossin' my hooves hopin' he's 'round other ponies I met 'n' cared about. It's unlikely considerin' the time o' day 'n' all that, but I gotta take my chances."

"Same here!" Rainbow chimed in. "I mean, I'd love to see how my old team is doing and all, but I'm not gonna count on Havoc being near 'em when I take my turn. But if I gotta just pick one pony and I only get a minute, I know who I'm gonna pick." She gestured at Twilight. "I mean, we all know Twi had to make the same decision too, right? Winter or Dawn?"

Rarity glanced at a slightly-blushing Twilight briefly, then back to Rainbow. "A fair point. Still, it doesn't make the choice exactly easy, and Twilight likely has been thinking about how to go about that choice for some time now. I feel rather put on the spot having to make the decision right here and now."

Fluttershy reached over and set her hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "If you want, Rarity, I'll use my turn to check in on Lockwood, while you check in on Insipid. Or the other way around, if you'd prefer."

"Oh, darling, no no, I couldn't do that. What about Gray Skies? Surely you wish to check in on your dear friend, hmm? She meant so much to you."

"I mean, you know that Lockwood's my friend too, right? Maybe he and I didn't quite have what you two had, but… I wouldn't mind seeing him again either. Besides, he was a good friend to all of us, one of the first ponies we met that treated us with kindness and compassion, so I figure we'd all like to see how he's doing."

Rarity blinked, clearly struck by Fluttershy's words. Fluttershy's logic was sound and fair, and even Rainbow had to agree with it. Lockwood turned out to be an alright guy, and she supposed she owed him for the opportunity he gave her, gave all of them really.

"I… suppose so," Rarity muttered, tapping her hooves together. "But—"

"And besides, I've got a good feeling that I'll see Gray one way or another," Fluttershy said with a grin towards Applejack, who just raised an eyebrow and looked to Rainbow and Pinkie as if they had an answer—they didn't, of course, but Rarity seemed to get it.

"Well, if you insist." Rarity bit her lip, then nodded. "Insipid for me it is, then. Thank you, Fluttershy. I appreciate this more than you know."

"You're very welcome, Rarity."

Twilight's horn lit up again, and this time the viewing pool showed what looked like a fancy apartment, the kind that wouldn't be out of place in the high-end sections of Canterlot, which was already a high-end place to live. There were a number of ponies gathered there, all of whom looked to be exactly the sort of mares and stallions that Rarity wouldn't be out of place associating with. There were plenty of hors d'oeuvres and drinks being served by a wait staff dressed in classy outfits. Rainbow had been to a few fancy dinners with the Wonderbolts by now, and this blew those out of the water.

The image was focused on one mare in particular, but even if it wasn't, she'd have drawn attention to her anyway. Insipid was a black unicorn mare with a platinum blonde mane and tail that were styled similarly to Rarity's, only longer and curlier. She was wearing a silk cocktail dress that drew Rainbow's eyes to her stellar figure, which she had to admit was better than she remembered, and Insipid had already had a good figure, much like Rarity did. She hesitated to say better than Rarity, actually.

"Wowww…" Pinkie breathed. "Dang, Rarity, Insipid got super pretty. Super prettier, actually, 'cause she was already super pretty! Just like you!"

"I really like what she's done with her mane," Fluttershy agreed, glancing at Rarity's curls. "She's still modeling it on yours, it looks like. You must have left a good impression on her."

Rarity's grin was ear-to-ear. "My my my, she certainly has come a long way. I'm a little jealous, actually. She doesn't have a single strand of gray in her mane. Lucky girl. And look at this crowd she's associating with, hmm? I could just as easily mistake this for one of Fancy Pants's weekend cocktail parties. These must be some of the most elite ponies in all of the city." She clapped her hooves together and let out a little squee. "Ooh, I'm so proud of her!"

"Hey, look at how she's talking to the waiter," Rainbow said, pointing to the conversation in question. "I know that look! She's telling him what to do, like he works for her or something!"

"Ooh, does that mean this is her party?!" Pinkie gasped. "Wowee! I know I usually prefer my kinds of parties, but I can spot a well-run shindig a mile away, with a blindfold on and one eye closed! And this, whew, this is a high-falootin classy party! Look look look! There must be music playing 'cause ponies are dancing! This is how I imagined my first GGG to be like."

"First what?" asked Rarity.

"GGG! Grand Galloping Gala, duh!" Pinkie rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Rarity, you gotta get with the acronym game if you're gonna be a PIMP like Insipid is one day."

Rarity looked aghast; Rainbow would never use that word, aghast, to describe anypony but it was perfect here. "A what? I beg your pardon?"

"A Particularly Important Model Pony, obviously. What did you think I meant? Sheesh, Rarity, get your mind outta the gutter."

The viewing pool closed, and the party was no more.

Fluttershy took a breath. "Okay then, let's see how Lockwood's doing."

Twilight nodded and lit up her horn again, and this time the viewing pool showed the stallion in question seated at a table in what looked like some sort of restaurant. Rainbow was honestly amazed at how much he had changed; the others so far hadn't changed a bit from what she remembered of them, but Lockwood certainly had.

The gray-coated pegasus had once been a scrawny wimp, and while he hadn't exactly bulked up or anything he'd clearly put on a little weight and gained a little muscle; he actually looked like a fairly average stallion now as far as his build went. He also normally hid that figure under a shabby raincoat, and did the same with his short brown mane under an equally shabby fedora, but now he hid neither, and wore a snappy-looking white vest and shirt, very professional.

As always, what was most striking about him were his eyes, a rich golden color that Rainbow didn't see very often; the only pony she personally knew with eyes like that was Derpy Hooves, one of Ponyville mail carriers. Lockwood's captured attention like nopony's business; even Rainbow had to admit they were kind of pretty. For a stallion, anyway.

Lockwood was joined by two other ponies. One, a mare seated across from him, drew immediate attention from the group. "Is that Tempest Shadow?" Rainbow asked, pointing at the mare.

"It certainly looks just like her," Twilight said, tilting her head carefully as she scrutinized the image. "But no, it's not. Tempest just checked in with me last week; she's in griffin country right now, not a completely different world. And besides, even if she were, Tempest's scars aren't that bad, and she definitely hasn't replaced her horn with a metal spike as far as I know. I'd like to think she'd tell me."

"Maybe she should get a replacement. That spike looks boss," Rainbow said with a smirk. "Especially with how it's glowing and everything. Super sci-fi kind of stuff, like those space marine movies Pinkie and I like. Like she's some kind of cyborg or something."

The other pony with Lockwood was a stallion, a big stallion with a mocha-colored coat and a chocolate mane, taller and broader than any stallion Rainbow had ever seen, including Big Macintosh. And, that was if Rainbow was assuming correctly that the body armor he was wearing wasn't particularly thick. The fact that he was wearing body armor was obviously a point of interest to the others, too.

"Is that… armor that guy's wearin'?" asked Applejack.

"It's not like anything I've ever seen on any of our own soldiers or guards before," Twilight said. "But it looks like it fits the aesthetic of their world. I remember watching some of their Teevee programs before. There was one about an entire army of ponies that wore armor just like that. Some kind of clone army or something like that. I didn't get to finish it."

"He looks like he's guarding the table," Fluttershy said. When Rainbow and Applejack gave her a look, she blushed and replied, "Some animals are known to watch over their nests with a posture like that. I… I just assumed. He's watching the table while Lockwood and this other mare are in a meeting."

Rainbow tilted her head. "How can you tell they're in a meeting?"

"Well, they have a bunch of those datapad things in front of them, like the kind that Lockwood always used to keep track of files on his tenants. Maybe this mare is his new assistant?"

Pinkie glanced over at Rarity and gave out a whistle to get her attention. "Hey! Equestria to Rarity! You haven't even said anything yet! Fluttershy gave up her turn for you, ya big goof!"

Rarity raised her head slightly. "Hmm? Oh! R-right, sorry. I was just…" She gulped and shook her head. "I always told him that if he took better care of himself he'd be quite the looker. I typically have a good eye for… potential, you understand. He's certainly quite the handsome fellow these days, isn't he? Not to disparage how he looked before, of course."

"I'm not the best judge on that, so I'll take your word for it," Rainbow said, putting her hooves behind her head. "He's in better shape though, that's for sure. He must be working out and eating better. I bet he's got a trainer and everything to get in shape like that."

The viewing portal closed, and Rainbow was certain that Rarity looked more than a little disappointed.

Next was Applejack's turn, and this time the portal opened to show none other than Flathoof, Applejack's close friend from the other world and a dead ringer for Big Macintosh. More than ever, it seemed; Rainbow remembered Flathoof being just a little slimmer and shorter than Big Mac was, but now he was about the same build. He was dressed fairly casually, though Rainbow wasn't sure what counted as "casual" in their world anyway.

To her surprise, though, Flathoof was seated at a table with three other ponies.

The first was Gray Skies, Fluttershy's friend, a brick house of a pegasus mare that was somehow larger than even Flathoof was, an unusual quality in a mare; if anything she was also bigger than Rainbow remembered, putting her at nearly Big Mac's size. She had a gray coat with a two-tone gray mane, and there was still a streak of magenta going through the middle; that settled it, it wasn't dyed. She was also dressed casually in a hooded sweater.

There were also two youngsters with them, a green-coated, green-maned earth pony colt that had to be in his teens with how big he was, and a pink-coated, blue-maned pegasus filly of about five or so. The kids, Gray, and Flathoof were all seated around a table together enjoying a meal of pizza and breadsticks. With the way they were all smiling, there was no doubt whatsoever in Rainbow's mind: they were a family.

"Hoo doggie, wouldja lookit that," Applejack whistled, a wide smile on her face. "If I weren't lookin' at it wit' my own two eyes, I'd never believe it. Flathoof 'n' Gray hookin' up together, how 'bout that? Though I guess it kinda fits. Flathoof always did say he liked his mares tough, 'n' Gray's tough as nails."

Rarity glanced over at Fluttershy and set her hoof on her shoulder. "Everything alright, darling? I can't imagine this is what you expected to see when Applejack checked in on Flathoof."

"I'm just glad that she's happy," Fluttershy said, looking at Gray with a pleasant smile. "When we left, all I could think about was that I wanted her to be happy. So I'm glad things worked out between them. It would've never worked out between us anyway, I know that. Gray wouldn't be interested in a mare like me."

Rainbow shrugged. "I guess it would kinda suck seeing this since you had the hots for her and all."

"I believe the term you're looking for is 'crush', darling," Rarity tutted.

"I knew it!" Pinkie exclaimed, shooting out of her chair.

"And that's all it really was: a crush," Fluttershy said with a nod. "So no, I'm not upset. I'm happy that she's happy and found somepony that makes her happy. She deserves it. They deserve it."

"An' lookit the state they're livin' in," Applejack whistled. "Them's some pretty nice digs, I tell ya what. Looks like they're livin someplace nice, nicer than where they were livin' 'fore we left anyhow." She nodded with approval. "Good. Makes me pleased as punch seein' them livin' a good life together. Why, I bet Flathoof done took that promotion he tol' me 'bout before we left."

"I'm sure Gray is helping out, too. Considering what we learned about her and her sisters, I doubt they're hurting for money."

"Yeah! Why, I bet Flathoof's whole family moved someplace bigger 'n' better than where they were before. A nice set o' folks like that deserves better'n what they were gettin' 'fore we all showed up." Applejack turned to Twilight. "Thanks fer this, Twi. Knowin' my friends 'n' their families are livin' better, well, it's the nicest thing I could've asked for."

Twilight smiled. "I'm glad to make this happen for you, Applejack." She turned to Fluttershy. "And you too, Fluttershy."

The viewing pool closed, and the group turned to Rainbow, who adjusted her jacket. "Alright then, saving the best for last of course. Let's see how Havoc's doing, Twi. I bet she's in the middle of a big game or something, or out training and stuff. We were talking about her getting faster before we left."

Twilight nodded, lit her horn, and the viewing pool adjusted to show Rainbow's good friend Havoc. Rainbow's jaw dropped because Havoc looked much different from how Rainbow remembered. Sure, the other pegasus mare's sporty red coat was the same, and her black mane with a white skunk stripe was the same—though much shorter than even Rainbow's—and she still wore a cool jacket, this one with her name on the front and her Cutie Mark—a burning meteorite—on the back.

But the big difference was her left eye. It was… different. Unnatural. It was hard to tell for sure because of the quality of the image, but it almost looked mechanical. That wasn't all, actually. Most of the left side of her face was scarred, as was most of the left side of her body that Rainbow could see. Bad scarring too, the kind that didn't just heal and go away on its own. Something had happened to Havoc, something bad, something real bad.

Seated across from Havoc was her sister, Golden Dawn, who coincidentally happened to be good friends with Twilight. Dawn was a golden brown unicorn with a cream-colored mane that she wore in curls that framed her face. She also wore a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, as well as a professional-looking purple dress suit.

The two mares were in some sort of office. And they were arguing. Ferociously, if Havoc's demeanor was any indication.

"Oh my, what happened to your friend, dear?" Rarity asked, hoof over her mouth. "She looks like she's been in a nasty accident. The poor mare."

"That's what I was thinking," Rainbow grunted. "I mean, she's standing up and moving around and stuff, and sure as hay has the energy to argue with her sister, so I guess whatever it was wasn't too bad, right? She doesn't look bothered by it. I mean, didn't Flathoof tell us how crummy the medical stuff was in their city? It had to be a long time ago."

"And why is she arguing with Dawn?" Twilight muttered, shaking her head. "It's wonderful to see Dawn again too, but this isn't what I was expecting to see when I saw her. I was expecting to see her addressing a lecture hall, or doing some research on a new project, or something to that effect. This isn't like the Dawn that I remember."

Rainbow shrugged. "Who knows. Havoc said she and Dawn argued about everything, even stupid things like table ettiquete because Dawn's got some freakishly high standards. Dawn probably set her off about something again because Havoc set her off about something again. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I… I disagree," Twilight said with obvious hesitation.

"C'mon, Twi, you remember what she was like at the party. I don't mean any offense, but Dawn's kind of a stuffy-snooty sort. She's worse than Rarity about certain things."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Twilight shook her head. "I understand what you're saying, Rainbow, but Dawn was still a good friend to me and Winter. Even when we disagreed on something, we never had any real arguments, not like this." She gestured at the Friendship Map. "Look. The Map is reacting to what we're seeing. It's clearly not 'just' an argument. This is serious."

Sure enough, the table itself, the base of the Friendship Map, was giving off a familiar pulsating glow.

"It always did that when it was detecting a friendship problem that we had to go and solve," Twilight continued. "I don't know how it's reacting to what's going on in their world, but it shouldn't be." She tapped her chin. "Then again, I never tested to see what the effects would be if it detected something like this in the course of our viewing. A variable I didn't account for…"

"That's not gonna be a problem, is it?" asked Applejack.

"No, it won't be. We're still separated by the entirety of the Void, after all. I suspect the Map is just such a powerful artefact that it can even detect problems across worlds if the right sort of window is open. I'd even theorize that it's connecting to something similarly powerful in their world and piggybacking off of it."

"Like their own Friendship Map?" asked Fluttershy.

"Perhaps. I mean, I recall from my experiences in alternate timelines of our world that there was always a Friendship Map, so maybe if all timelines possess one, then so too do all worlds." Twilight grinned and tapped her hooves together. "This will make for quite an exciting study! If I can figure out how to study it, of course."

"Is it just me, or does it look like Dawn's looking at us?" asked Pinkie, gesturing towards the viewing pool.

"Huh?" Twilight and the others glanced at the image, and sure enough, Dawn seemed to be staring straight at them. "No, I don't think so. There must be something in that direction that's distracting her. Something outside of a window, maybe."

"Distracting her so much that she's ignoring Havoc getting all up in her grill?" Rainbow asked. "Because if one of you got all up in my face like that, I'd be giving you my full attention even if there was like, a train wreck behind you."

"Apparently it's that distracting then."

"And you're sure it's not because she can see us?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "The only way she could see us is if she had some way of detecting Void magic, which Winter assured me that only Chronomancers could do, and even then only with their Timekeepers. That's why Winter almost noticed us—this spell is utilizing a miniature, artificial Void rift. Besides, she's not looking directly at us."

As soon as Twilight said that, Dawn's gaze shifted again, this time looking directly at them. Speak of the devil.

"Uh, now she is," Applejack muttered.

"No no no, there's clearly something directly behind the manifestation I've made," Twilight said, brushing that thought away with her hoof like an unwanted dish at a party. "If she were looking directly at us, then—"

To the surprise of the group, the viewing pool flickered for half a second, as by now it had hit the one-minute time limit; yet, it didn't close. To the further surprise of the group, the image changed slightly, and what looked like a pair of eyes opened up near the pool's edge opposite Twilight. The eyes weren't normal by any stretch; instead of white, they were filled with what appeared to be a starry, nighttime sky. The pupils even looked like crescent moons.

And they were looking right at Twilight.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Rainbow muttered, scooting her chair back from the table about an inch or two. "Gettin' some déjà vu vibes here."

"Yeah, not the good kind of déjà vu at all," Pinkie agreed, scooting closer to Dash.

"Shut off the spell, Twilight," said Rarity, not taking her eyes off of the eyes in the pool.

Twilight, whose horn was aglow, replied, "I'm trying, but something's wrong. The spell isn't responding, and it should've shut off on it's own by now."

"Oh dear…" Fluttershy peeped, shrinking down in her chair.

Applejack straightened up in her seat. "What's goin' on, Twi? What're we lookin' at?"

"I… I don't know," Twilight answered. "But I can't—"

Everything that happened next happened so fast that, even to Rainbow, it felt like a blur.

The viewing pool exploded outwards in a spray of magical light, knocking everypony seated at the table, except for Twilight, tumbling backwards over and out of their chairs. Then, tendrils of oily black magic lashed out from the pool at Twilight, who raised a barrier to defend herself. The tendrils collided with the shield and wrapped around it, but couldn't penetrate it; Twilight looked like she was struggling to keep it that way.

"Shut off the spell, Twi!" shouted Applejack.

"I'm trying! It's not working!" Twilight shouted back as the tendrils wrapped almost completely around her barrier. "This shouldn't be happening! I tested the spell over a hundred times!"

"Don't worry 'bout that right now, just close it up!"

The magic from the pool spilled out into the room and started ripping apart anything and everything it touched, which mostly included chairs, parts of the wall, the door, the stained glass windows, and chunks of the floor. Worst of all, the magic lingered wherever it went and kept anypony from finding a way out of the room through the damage.

Luckily, Rainbow and her friends were able to avoid the dangerous magic, but they were running out of space to move around, and she was sure none of them wanted to find out what that magic did to a pony. Rainbow in particular snagged up Pinkie to keep her out of harm's way; Fluttershy did the same for Rarity, though with not nearly as much ease. Applejack, meanwhile, maneuvered around the lashing magic and tried to get to the Friendship Map.

When she did, she bucked it as hard as she could.

"What're you doing, AJ?!" Rainbow called down. "Get out of there!"

"If'n the map is workin' to let Twi use her spell, I reckon it won't work wit'out it!" Applejack shouted back as she gave the table another hard kick. "We gotta do somethin' 'fore this thing gets outta control!"

Unfortunately, they never found out if that would've worked. As soon as Applejack kicked the table a second time, the tendrils of magic spewing out of the pool managed to break Twilight's barrier spell and latch onto her instead. Twilight's horn ignited even brighter as she tried to fend them off, and brighter, and brighter still, until eventually there was a bright flash and Twilight collapsed, exhausted.

"Twilight!" everypony shouted in unison.

Things went from bad to worse immediately, as without Twilight holding it back, the viewing pool's magic enveloped the entire room and started drawing everypony into it. Not just with sheer force, like Rainbow remembered it working seven years ago, but with active intent, as though the viewing pool was purposefully trying to grab them.

And within the confines of the tiny room, with nowhere to run or fly, they didn't have a chance. Rainbow barely managed to hang onto Pinkie as the pair of them were drawn into the pool, and she saw Rarity and Fluttershy tumbling together behind them, with Applejack just ahead. She completely lost track of Twilight in all the chaos.

The experience was familiar to Rainbow, certainly, but there was something different about it. Once again, Rainbow found herself falling along what she could only describe as a river of magic, which rose and fell and twirled about in unpredictable ways. All around her was a field of stars streaked with magical ribbons of light. That part was the same as she remembered; it was hard to forget an experience like that.

What was different was the array of oily black rivulets that snaked along the sides of the "river" she and the others were on, and which were actively affecting the way the river moved. Rainbow's eyes widened as one particularly large tendril drove itself into the middle of the river, tearing it in half and sending violent sparks of magic spraying everywhere.

Rainbow, with Pinkie clutched tightly in her hooves, rolled left, following Applejack, just narrowly avoiding the tendril itself. A glance behind her, though, told her that Fluttershy and Rarity didn't react as quickly, and they were taken along the right path, completely out of sight.

"Fluttershy! Rarity!" shouted Pinkie, reaching out with her hoof. She glanced at Rainbow. "Dashie, we gotta do something!"

"I'd love to, but we've got our own problems!" Rainbow replied as she rolled to avoid another tendril slicing apart a chunk of the river ahead. "As soon as we see them again, we'll try and get us all back together, okay? We still don't even know where Twilight is!"

Applejack pointed off the side of the river. "She's down there!"

Rainbow glanced over and saw that, sure enough, Twilight was on a river of her own beneath theirs by a few dozen feet. Only she wasn't moving at all, nor was she reacting to the chaos around her, which in this case meant the black tendrils adjusting her river to move in a very particular direction. Judging from where it was going, it would only be a few seconds before they lost sight of her, too.

"Okay, we don't have a big window here, but I think I can swoop down there and bring her up here," Rainbow said. "She's bigger than I'm used to, but—"

Applejack then leapt off the river down towards Twilight.

"AJ!" Rainbow and Pinkie shouted.

They watched as Applejack collided with the river below, hard, tumbling towards the edge and stopping just short of falling; she was hanging by her hooves off the edge of the liquid magic, only barely holding on.

Rainbow released Pinkie for a second and made to fly off after Applejack, but another tendril of black magic blocked her path and knocked her back onto the river, hard enough to almost send her over the side; Pinkie barely grabbed her hoof to keep her from falling off. By the time Pinkie helped Rainbow back onto their river safely, they'd lost sight of Applejack and Twilight too.

"Thanks, Pinks," Rainbow said. She gulped as the river ahead looked like it was trailing off into a sort of "waterfall"; she couldn't see where it led. "You'd better hold onto me, okay?"

Pinkie grabbed Rainbow tight. "Whatever happens, Dashie, at least we're together, right?"

Rainbow grabbed Pinkie tight too, maybe a little tighter. "Right."

They both screamed as they went over the edge of the fall, tumbling down, down, down, into what looked like a shimmering pool of light.

As they passed through it, they landed roughly on a hard, solid floor, all of the velocity from the fall somehow evaporating. Rainbow's head felt like it was spinning; she could barely register where she was or what was around her.

She could hear just fine, though, and heard the familiar voice of her close friend Havoc—it was just like she remembered, maybe a little harsher—say, "What the fuck?"

Chapter Three: Recount

Fluttershy was glad that things had worked out so quickly and smoothly this time around for her and… well, for her and Rarity at least. She was sure that Rainbow and Pinkie were being well cared for as well, but she was worried about Twilight and Applejack, and dreadfully so. Were they safe? Were they hurt? Even if Winter was with them, they had likely popped up in some dark, scary caves, and Twilight wasn't in good shape when Fluttershy saw her last. Just thinking about it made her heart race.

But, as her anxiety classes taught her, it was better to breathe, remain calm, and think about the situation logically rather than let herself get into a panic about it. It was best to just focus on what she could do, rather than on what she couldn't do. And what she could do… was stay put, stay safe, and have faith in her friends.

After some wait staff cleaned up the mess in the dining area, Lockwood had invited her and Rarity, as well as everypony else—and Mister Gilderoy—to sit down for lunch with him. His wife, Blackburn, the honest-to-goodness queen of this city, had declined, stating that she had to return to her work from earlier and make preparations for their new guests. The other mare, Gadget, had gone along with; apparently she was the queen's bodyguard and assistant? They seemed friendlier than just employer and employee, though.

Gilderoy had declined as well, claiming he had other business to attend to regarding their "other guest", whatever that meant, though he did promise to begin work on some sort of solution to the problem they now were in. The old griffin—gryphon? They spelled it differently here apparently—seemed nice enough and very polite, so she wasn't worried about what he had in mind.

Stellar Storm left as well, claiming that she had new work to handle thanks to the new arrivals and that she'd been done with lunch anyway. The other mare definitely reminded her a lot of Tempest Storm, though whatever this mare had gone through was apparently worse, at least outwardly, than what had happened to Tempest. Fluttershy didn't ask, though, and didn't want to make assumptions.

This just left Gray and Flathoof to join them, as well as Lockwood's… well, Crossfire seemed to be his bodyguard and assistant, like Gadget was for the queen, but he and Lockwood were far too friendly for that to be the end of it. They spoke like good friends, with a cordiality to them that could only mean they'd known each other for a very long time.

It was nice, sitting down for lunch with Lockwood and Gray again, and with Flathoof too. All of her closest friends from this other world were right here in this private dining room at what was apparently a rather high quality diner, and she was glad to be able to share the experience with Rarity, her closest friend from back home. They'd not had much of an opportunity to all sit down like this the last time that they were here, so this was… nice.

Rarity, incidentally, had taken a few moments to clean her winter coat with the application of some magic, some water, and a great deal of effort. This allowed her to show off her red lace dress, albeit unintentionally, and it was clear that it still held the sort of attention-drawing capabilities around here that it had when she'd first made it years ago, if the looks the others had given her were any indication. Once her coat was cleaned, though, she placed that back over herself as was proper; the dress was meant for formal high-society occasions and fashion shows, not casual lunch meetings.

Lunch didn't last long, though, as most of the group had already eaten—Gray and Flathoof noted that their family lunch had been interrupted, in fact—so it wasn't long before the topic turned to what to do to pass the time while they waited for Blackburn to arrange things. It was naturally Lockwood who came up with a grand idea: a guided tour of the city.

"Hope's Point is our home," he said with a smile. "I know it's only been that way for me for a few years compared to ponies like Crossfire here, but I care more about this city and the ponies who live here than anything. As King of Hope's Point, why, I'd say it's my duty to want to show it off to everypony I possibly can."

"A tour of the city hosted by the king himself, huh?" Gray said with a smirk, leaning back and kicking her hooves up on the table. "Well now, that sounds like a pretty rare opportunity. I had to settle for his brother. He's just not as personable."

Flathoof chuckled. "And I'm not the sophisticated sort that Lockwood is, either. I mostly knew just some practical stuff that somepony moving here would need to know about."

"You mean you knew where they made good hay fries and where a pony could get their horseshoes fixed up, and that's about it?"

"Sure, what else does a pony need?"

Gray rolled her eyes and nudged Fluttershy. "See what I mean? I had to figure out for myself where all the good pizza joints are around here. He's totally useless." With a grin in his direction, she added, "But he's got a few nice qualities about him here and there, I guess. So I'll settle for second-best."

Fluttershy giggled into her hoof. "I'm glad to see you two are getting on so well. Married and everything, with kids even? I'm really happy for you, for both of you. You deserve a bit of happiness after all you did for me."

"Heh, thanks Shy. So, an official royal tour, huh?" Gray said, turning to Lockwood. "That's your idea for passing the time? 'Cause it sounds alright, and it should take a few hours I guess."

"I think it's a marvelous idea myself," Rarity said with a grin. "I do so love to see new places and experience new cultures now that I have the time and money to do so. I suppose if I have to end up in a strange, faraway land once again, I may as well make the most of it."

"Absolutely," Lockwood agreed. "Our city may share a lot of qualities with New Pandemonium, on account of how many of our citizens immigrated from there, but we have our own tastes and social norms that they just don't have up north, not to mention our own culture, entertainment preferences, fashion scenes, and more. Sorry if I sound like a travel guide, but I'm proud of my home."

"You make it sound like a completely different country, dear, not merely another city."

"That's because we are, for all intents and purposes. New Pandemonium and Hope's Point are city-states, or… nation-cities, or however you feel is the best way to describe it. We have our own territories outside the city limits and everything, too. Hence why peace between our cities is treated with such diplomatic importance."

Lockwood then gestured at Gray. "And hence why they needed to send an ambassador down here to serve as a diplomat."

Fluttershy's eyes widened. "You're an ambassador?"

Gray shrugged. "Meh. Because of that whole telepathic magic thing I mentioned earlier, I'm really just a glorified telephone. Dawn's got me on speed-dial."

"I tell you all the time Gray, you mustn't sell yourself short," Lockwood said, his nose in the air. "Nopony else could do what you do, and I'm not just talking about the spell. You're a natural negotiator. Unless you want to tell me that everything we discuss is verbatim what Dawn is asking you to tell us?"

"Well, no, I relay things in a way that doesn't sound like I'm vomiting up the dictionary every time I open my mouth. I know what Dawn's ten-bit words mean, I know Blackburn does and you do too, but I don't feel like spending thirty minutes saying what I can say in five. Why use lots of words when a few do the trick?"

"See? I doubt that anypony else would be willing to do that for us. I've got a feeling Dawn wouldn't exactly allow somepony else to do that."

"No… I guess not."

"And besides, you've offered up a few ideas here and there yourself that I know didn't come from Dawn, or from Curaçao for that matter." Lockwood nodded firmly. "You do a fine job, Gray, and I won't hear otherwise from anypony, least of all you."

"Aptly put, darling," Rarity said, giving Gray a smile of her own. "You've always been a dear friend of ours, too, so I'd never hear an unkind word towards you either. You kept my friends safe from harm when they needed it most, and I could never thank you enough for that."

Gray scratched her chin; Fluttershy was sure she was blushing. "Thanks, guys. You don't have to lay it on so thick, though." She cleared her throat. "So, uh, speaking of ideas, here's one: this tour sounds like a good plan, yeah, but how about we split up a bit?" She wrapped her hoof around Fluttershy. "Flats and I will take Shy around town, you and Crossfire show Rarity around."

"You want to split up? Why?" Lockwood asked.

"Two reasons: one, I know what we all have different interests and places we'd like to see or do, and this way, we can focus on that rather than trying to cram everything in." She nudged Fluttershy again. "I know you appreciate fashion, but you're not the fashionista Rarity is, and Flathoof and I would just get bored wandering around the fashion district."

Fluttershy tilted her head. "I wouldn't mind seeing the fashion district, really, not if it makes Rarity happy."

"Oh pish posh, dear," Rarity said, fanning her face with her hoof. "You don't need to go visit the fashion district with me if you don't want to. I for one think Gray's idea sounds delightful. You and I see each other quite often enough as it is, but you haven't seen Gray or Flathoof for years. It might be fun having them show you around, hmm?"

"Which brings me to my second point," Gray continued. "Hope's Point is different from New Pandemonium, like Lockwood said. And I don't just mean the culture and the sights; I mean the ponies. I'm sure you remember how we told you guys that you never wanted to walk the streets of New Pandemonium alone unless you had a way of defending yourself, right?"

Fluttershy nodded. "I remember, and I definitely listened to you on that. I never left that apartment building unless I was with you or Lockwood, and even then I made sure to stay close. Sometimes closer than I think was necessary," she added with a blush. "But you two made me feel so safe."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that around here." Gray nudged Flathoof. "Go on, give her the spiel."

Flathoof cleared his throat. "Hope's Point's current crime rate sits at a respectable five-point-one out of every ten thousand citizens, which is roughly one percent of New Pandemonium's record low in the past fifty years. The typical crimes we deal with here are the occasional petty theft, vandalism, and public indecency; violent crimes make up less than one percent of the crime rate, and the worst of the bunch is assault."

Lockwood nodded in proud affirmation. "Our citizens don't mug or rob one another for petty cash, they don't murder each other out of pashion or desperation, and there certainly hasn't ever been a report of any other unscrupulous crimes. It's not paradise by a long shot, but I'll take a million bits in stolen goods over a single death any day of the week."

Gray pulled Fluttershy in again. "I figured that if you come with me and Flathoof, you'd get a chance to see just how safe the city is. We're not exactly public figures around here; I don't go around advertising that I'm an ambassador, and Flathoof doesn't wear his militia uniform unless it's official business."

"But I suppose if you walked around with me, it would color her perception of how folks react," Lockwood said with an understanding smile. "A fair idea, Gray." He looked at Fluttershy expectantly. "If splitting up for the tour sounds alright with you, Fluttershy, then far be it from me to suggest otherwise. Gray can be very persuasive when she wants to be."

Fluttershy looked up at Gray's smiling face, then gave her a small nod. "That sounds lovely, actually. Are we going to go to your place to meet your kids? I'd really like that."

"Sure! We'll show you a few sights along the way," Gray said with a smile of her own. "The kids are gonna love you."

With that, the group rose from the table and said their temporary farewells—Lockwood wanted everypony to meet back up around dinnertime so that they could all catch up in a proper atmosphere and be joined by Blackburn as well—then went their separate ways outside the restaurant, with Lockwood and Crossfire leading Rarity one way, while Fluttershy followed Gray and Flathoof the other way.

Now that she was outside, Fluttershy could finally see what Hope's Point looked like, and she found it… well, a lot of things, actually. It was cleaner than she remembered New Pandemonium being, yet still maintained that slightly intimidating metropolitan atmosphere that all big cities had, even those back home like Manehatten. The air was cleaner too, and actually quite pleasant, but still not the proper fresh air that she was used to back home.

She supposed that it was because they were still on the northern continent, covered as it was with that disgusting orange glow that radiated from the north pole, specifically from the huge tower in the center of New Pandemonium City. Which, incidentally, was where she was certain Rainbow and Pinkie were; she hoped that the strange tower didn't have any weird affect on them.

The ponies, though, that was where the big difference was most apparent. Everypony was generally cordial and friendly. Not overly so like they were back home most of the time, but just the right amount of polite that they didn't shout for her and Gray and Flathoof to move out of the way since there was plenty of room to walk, and they weren't shouting at each other for stealing chariots since there was always another one nearby, and they didn't give one another dirty looks—or unsavory ones, for that matter.

"None of the buildings around here seem as tall as they were up north," Fluttershy observed. The largest building she'd seen so far was only about seven stories, a ritzy hotel for folks visiting from either the north or south. "Where do all of the ponies here live? None of these look like… like houses or apartments."

"They live underground," Gray said simply. She gestured at a simple building on the nearby corner, which looked barely large enough to hold more than a dozen ponies at once. "See that? It's an elevator leading into the undercity. That's where all of the residential districts are, as well as the critical facilities like hospitals and stuff."

"Everypony lives… underground?"

"Yup. The city founders hollowed out a huge stretch of the coastal cliffs so that the ponies who live here would be safe."

"The whole place is reinforced with military-grade durasteel so that they don't have to worry about earthquakes," Flathoof added. "And down there, they're safe in case the barrier goes down for some reason. The earth here is thick enough to withstand any bombardment. Not that we have to worry about that nowadays anyway, right?"

Fluttershy glanced upwards at the aforementioned "barrier", a golden dome of magical light, the most significant thing one could possibly notice about the city. She was reminded of how Canterlot had looked when Shining Armor was protecting the entire city himself with a similar, smaller shield when they were under threat of the changelings under Queen Chrysalis.

From how Twilight explained it, that kind of barrier was incredibly difficult to maintain and her brother had only been able to do it because it was his special talent and he was suitably magically potent.

The shield of Hope's Point was exponentially larger, and unlike Shining's barrier, it was under constant barrage from harsh weather conditions, namely the sandstorm that Fluttershy could see whipping about outside. The shield was so potent that it was keeping even the tiniest grain of sand out of the city's airspace, and yet it was filtering in clean, breathable air all the same. That was impressive, even to somepony like Fluttershy who didn't understand magic very well, and even less about the strange technomagic that this world used to make such things.

"This city is amazing," Fluttershy said, taking another look around. It wasn't quite like home, not in the least bit, but there was something about this place that made her feel at peace, and it wasn't just her current company. "You're right, Gray, this seems like a place where somepony can walk around alone and feel safe."

Gray wrapped her hoof around Flutterhsy's shoulder. "Told ya. I figured you should know, since you're gonna be here awhile. Don't take this the wrong way, 'cause you're a real good friend to me, but I don't think anypony would like it if I had to escort you everywhere. Y'know? I've got a job to do these days, and kids to raise, and everything that goes with all that. So I wanted you to know that you can feel independent."

"What Gray means is that you're welcome to visit us anytime," Flathoof continued, giving his wife a grin. "But it's more convenient for us—and for you—if you just walked over and visited if and when you felt like it. No reason to wait around for somepony to pick you up or anything like that; just let us know you're coming with a phone call."

Fluttershy eyed Gray's hoof on her shoulder, then smiled and nodded. "I understand completely. That's how I do things at home, too. If I want to visit my friends, I just do it. I don't even have to write them a letter to let them know I want to see them, but then none of them have foals to worry about."

"Good! Glad we're on the same page. Because again, you're welcome anytime," Gray said firmly. "Hell, if you wanted to, you can just say the word and I'll tell Blackburn to let us put you up at our place for the next few weeks. We've got a guest room that we don't really use for anything."

"Really? You mean that?"

"Of course! What're friends for, right?" Gray said with a bright, pleasant smile.

Fluttershy smiled back, then averted her eyes for a moment, her face red. Her anxiety was kicking in and telling her that she was going to make things awkward if she talked about what she wanted to talk about with Gray and Flathoof right this moment, so awkward that they'd immediately rescind their offer—which she wasn't planning on taking anyway, as much as she appreciated it!—and probably never want to see her ever again at that.

But she knew better than to let that little nasty voice in her head get its way anymore. Sometimes it managed to win and make her second-guess herself, but she was in too good of a mood—despite everything bad that had happened today—that she wasn't going to let it have its way this time.

"I appreciate the offer, both of you," Fluttershy said, giving them both a grin, "but I don't want to refuse Lockwood's offer, either. He did offer first, after all. Well, technically his wife did, but she's the queen, and I think it'd be good for me to accept her offer. As much as I'd love to stay with you two, I don't want to leave Rarity all alone like that."

Gray nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I get it, and that's cool of you to do that for your friend. You do you, Shy. Just know that if you ever change your mind, the offer's on the table."

Fluttershy rubbed the back of her neck and took a deep breath. Now or never.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I just… I have something to tell you. Something that I've been sitting on for a long time and never managed to get off my chest all those years ago. Because, um… back then, I didn't really have the confidence to do anything about it, to even bring it up or anything like that. I just… let it go.

"But my anxiety classes have been helping me deal with my nervousness and indecisiveness, and I think… I think that I need to say it now, or I might never work up the courage to say it later. So if you don't mind, I'd like to say my piece."

Gray scratched her cheek. "I mean, sure thing, whatever you've gotta say, go ahead and say it. Are you sure you're alright, though? I mean, if it's a touchy subject—"

"No, I'm fine. Believe me, I've been thinking about this for a long time." Fluttershy took another breath. "When I saw you again in that viewing pool, it brought back a lot of feelings that I used to have. I've always cherished our friendship, Gray, but there was a time when… when I sort of… wanted something more."

Gray blinked. "Huh?"

"Oooh… let me just say it: I… h-h-had a crush… on… on you." Fluttershy felt her heart skip a beat as the sheer weight of the words fell away. "Wow, it feels better to say that aloud than I thought it would." With a nod, she repeated them, with confidence. "I had a crush on you, Gray."

Gray was silent for a moment, then tilted her head, baffled. "You did? Really?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why would you have had a crush on me? I thought you had a thing for Lockwood?"

Fluttershy's face got hot. "Oh. W-well, I did, for a time. But then I let that go, because… um…" She shook her head; she could never say why she did without putting pressure on Rarity to explain, even if things hadn't worked out. "Because I just did. No other reason. But that was fine with me, because I liked you. I mean… I'm not… I'm not saying I replaced him with you. You're not my second choice or anything! That's… that's not what I—"

"Whoa whoa, easy, it's cool. I just… I didn't know you liked mares. And stallions too, I guess?" Gray shook her head, then grinned. "Huh, that explains a bit about… uh, anyway, I mean… look, Shy, I'm flattered, but—"

"Oh, no, you don't need to apologize," Fluttershy quickly said. She looked between Gray and Flathoof and smiled. "I figured out on my own that you two had something special, even when you probably didn't see it yourselves. I could see it in the way you two laughed together and looked at each other. Once I did, well, I knew I didn't stand a chance, even if you did like mares. I just knew things would work out with you two, and that was that."

Flathoof scratched his chin. "I mean, it took a while, but I guess it did, didn't it?"

"And I couldn't be happier that it did, either." Fluttershy took Gray's hooves in hers. "Gray, you're one of the best friends I've ever had. You're a beautiful, powerful, wonderful mare, and I want nothing more in the world than for you to be happy. The only reason that I'm telling you this is because… I had to. I know that if I didn't express myself, I'd just let it fester and fester, and I don't want that to turn into something bad."

Gray blinked and rubbed the back of her head. "Well… this is certainly just adding onto all the weird things that have happened today, isn't it? You're sure you're cool that I, y'know, don't like you like that?"

"I am. Are… are you okay with the fact that I used to have those thoughts a long, long time ago? Because I don't anymore."

"You don't?"

"No, I don't. I still think you're a beautiful, powerful, wonderful mare who makes me feel safe, but I've moved on. I, um…" Fluttershy reddened again and averted her gaze. "I have somepony else I'm interested in these days. Well… not really a pony, but… that's complicated. But he's special to me, and… and I'm working up the courage to tell him that, like I just did with you."

Gray nodded, then smirked and shook her head. "Yeah, I'm cool with it. I wouldn't let something as dumb as that get in the way of our friendship. Like you said, you're telling me because you had to get it off your chest, but it's not like you feel that way anymore. So hey, no awkwardness there."

"I mean, I'd be fine with it if you did still dig her like that," Flathoof noted with a wide grin.

"Flathoof!" Gray exclaimed, giving him a harsh look and stomping over towards him; it was at this moment that Fluttershy realized that Gray was, in fact, taller than Flathoof by nearly an inch.

Flathoof just chortled, hooves up in a show of defense. "What? Oh c'mon, can you blame me for thinking it?"

"I can and I do! Don't you start turning into your brother."

As Fluttershy watched the two "argue"—she could tell a real fight from… whatever this was—she could only hide her red face behind her wings and giggle, though she wasn't sure what to make of the last comment at all. All that mattered was she could tell the two wouldn't "argue" like this if they weren't very much in love, and that just made her all the happier.

*****

Having gotten over the shock of how incredibly different this city was to the dingy, filthy, disgusting streets of New Pandemonium, Rarity took the opportunity to judge the fashion of the average passerby in the streets of Hope's Point, and she found it to be rather… acceptable. Yes, that was the proper term here: acceptable. Not extravagant, but not atrocious either. Just a happy medium. Acceptable.

Though this was only based on an hour at most of observation, she'd noticed a number of trends as far as the populace's fashion sense was concerned. Sure, the average pony wore relatively average clothes, but she could pick out the ponies that specifically paid attention to their appearances. There was nothing so extravagant as the fancy dresses that she designed for the upper class back in Canterlot, but there was still an interesting offering to be seen from the run-of-the-mill, off-the-rack fashion.

Lockwood had noted that it was roughly the same time of year here in the north that it was back home in her Equestria—early winter—most of the outfits on display were designed for warmth in mind, with coats, scarfs, hats, jackets, and sweaters of various styles and made of different materials. It wasn't too cold just yet so the warmer clothes were still of a lighter sensibility than the heavier sort that ponies wore in, say, the Crystal Empire.

Even the city's stallions seemed to get in on the fashion game around here, which Rarity noted was rare even back in Canterlot. The stallions didn't wear skirts, of course—at least from what Rarity had seen—but she wouldn't judge if any did. After all, what was a kilt if not just a long, masculine skirt? Perhaps that was oversimplifying things, but still.

The main way to tell who was or wasn't fashion conscious was easy enough because the fashionable ponies groomed themselves in a particular way. Manes and tails were treated with precision and care, perfectly coiffed, combed, primped, brushed, parted, tied, braided, or curled into exquisite, luxurious styles not out of place in a fashion show back home. The average pony just seemed to comb their manes and tails briefly before they left the house, nothing quite so attentive.

Yes, Rarity thought, this is certainly different from the streets up north, and from back home. I wonder how different the fashion center is?

Since that was still a ways off—Lockwood insisted they walk to take their time through the streets—Rarity also had the opportunity to observe… well, Lockwood. Or rather, King Lockwood, since that was part of what was keeping her attention so much right now: his royal status. Or rather more specifically, how the citizens reacted to it, or rather how they didn't, at least in any sense that Rarity would have expected.

Having known Twilight Sparkle for as long as she did, she'd grown tremendously accustomed to being around royalty and had been given plenty of opportunities to show how well she'd learned the proper social decorum when royalty was concerned. Besides her own personal experiences, she'd seen how ponies in Canterlot reacted whenever Princess Celestia had walked the streets, or how they reacted to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire.

Namely, everypony always bowed to them, with rare exceptions. Even Twilight began getting the same treatment once she'd ascended, but she already knew that that was how the common folk were supposed to act so she just never really questioned it, though she had insisted she didn't need such treatment. After her recent coronation, she'd even wanted to abolish the practice entirely, but Rarity had convinced her to make that process gradual; she couldn't just suddenly, what, outlaw bowing to her?

The citizens of Hope's Point, however, did not so much as stop what they were doing to even hint that they were going to bow in King Lockwood's presence. They diverted from their paths a bit to give him room to move, of course, and looked or pointed in his direction with smiles and nods and waves, which he acknowledged with nods or waves of his own, but if anything the citizens treated him more like a respected celebrity than their ruler.

It was… endearing?

But it also reminded her of an important fact: he was only the king because he'd married Queen Blackburn. And she could not let that go unaddressed.

"I must say, darling, it's wonderful learning that after all those years, you finally managed to find your way down here and back into the hooves of the mare you love," she said as they rounded a corner; the fashion district wouldn't be far now. "You two were apart for quite some time, as I recall?"

Lockwood took a moment to respond, but he did so with a grin. "Yeah, I suppose it was a pretty long time, wasn't it?"

Oddly enough, Crossfire, Lockwood's hunky bodyguard and steward—he wasn't Rarity's type but she could tell a hunk when she saw one—seemed a little confused by the statement. "Well now, that there's a weird thing ta say."

Rarity tilted her head. "Hmm? Whatever do you mean, dear? How is it strange?"

"Well, most folk who knew Lockwood 'fore he finally got married just act all surprised-like on account o' them not knowin' he was even s'posed ta be gettin' hitched in the first place, or that he was even datin' anypony fer that matter."

"Ah… that's right, I seem to recall that you'd been trying to keep it a secret," Rarity said, tapping her chin. "Forgive me, I was under the impression that now that Lockwood and his paramour were together again that such things weren't being kept a secret anymore. I apologize if I've caused any discomfort."

"Shucks, ain't no discomfort, just a bit o' confusion." Crossfire nudged Lockwood gently. "I thought ya said only Miss Curie figured out y'all were even together wit' anypony?" He paused, then nodded and smiled in understanding. "Ah, right, Miss Rarity here ain't from 'round these parts, an' she went back to, uh… to wherever she's from. Probably didn't matter none if she figured it out, huh? Who's she gonna tell?"

"That's… that's exactly right, Crossfire," Lockwood said, tugging his collar slightly. "Very observant of you, and completely accurate, yes."

"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, so to speak, I don't suppose you'd mind telling me more about her? Your lovely wife, I mean?" Rarity asked with a polite smile. "I suppose I could just ask her herself, but I'd prefer to hear some details from you first. There's nothing quite like hearing a pony describe their special somepony."

Lockwood paused. "I mean, I don't know. Wouldn't that feel a little, uh…" He paused again, then cleared his throat. "Crossfire, buddy, could you trail back a little? I'd like to… have a private conversation with Miss Rarity. As private as a public street can get, anyway."

Crossfire didn't seem to think there was anything odd about the request despite how odd Lockwood was making it sound. "Sure thing, boss."

And without hesitation, the large earth pony stallion slowed his pace ever-so-slightly such that Lockwood and Rarity could pull ahead a fair distance; since the average passerby was already giving them plenty of space, this meant that their conversation could be well and truly private, unless somepony was specifically trying to eavesdrop on them. Rarity had a keen eye for eavesdroppers, too, and there weren't any around.

"What's the matter, dear?" Rarity asked, eyebrow raised. "You're acting awfully strange about this."

"It's just, you don't… you don't think it's awkward?" Lockwood asked, scratching his temple. "Me, talking about my wife? With you?"

"No, why would I? It's perfectly natural and expected for a husband to speak about his wife. Now, unless you're telling me that you have nothing good to say about her, in which case we can drop the conversation, since I don't want to force you to air any marital issues—"

"What? No, it's nothing like that. I mean, you don't find it awkward to hear me talk about my wife, considering… uh… considering what happened? Almost happened? Between us?"

Rarity rolled her eyes and turned her gaze fully forward. "Lockwood, dear, is that what this is about?"

"Of course that's what this is about. I thought for sure you'd be bothered by the thought of it all."

"Why would I feel awkward listening to you sing your wife's praises considering that all that happened between us was a simple misunderstanding on my part? Just a simple almost kiss, nothing more. You're acting as though we had a lurid affair, or at the very least a wild night of passion. I certainly don't recall any such thing."

Lockwood raised a hoof to speak, then stopped. "Well, I mean, no, I guess nothing actually happened—"

"Then there's no need to make this out to be awkward, dear. I thought we'd agreed never to speak of it again, and to forget that it ever happened?"

"I suppose that you're right about that." He cleared his throat. "Well, alright. If you really want to hear it."

"I most certainly do. Blackburn must be truly special to you, and I want to hear all about her. I make it a habit—a bad one some might say—of being keenly interested in the romantic endeavors of my friends, and you are no exception." With a grin, she added, "So? Do go on."

Lockwood then proceeded to give a rather brief, truncated summary of how he'd first met his future wife at a party, specifically the cuteceañera of a good friend of his—one who happened to currently be this city's Secretary of Commerce—and how they'd actually not gotten along that well at first. But they slowly fell for one another when they saw how much alike they were—dedicated to the betterment of others—until it came to a head and they just let their passions get the better of them.

She could tell there were some details omitted in regards to how that went about—he said that the details weren't particularly lighthearted and that he'd gotten hurt "real bad"—but Rarity read between the lines enough to know that he and Blackburn were very much in love with one another both emotionally and physically. There was no doubt at all about that just based on his body language and awkward pauses when she pressed; theirs was a healthy relationship in every way.

The rest of the details weren't particularly crucial to the story, and Rarity hadn't asked for all the details anyway—surely there had to be enough to fill a book—but what mattered to her the most, she could sum up rather well once he was finished:

"Darling, that is… truly one of the most romantic tales I've ever heard," she said with a sigh of content. "I've heard many a tale of romance before, but I must say that you and your wife have something remarkable together. A marriage to be envied if there ever was one, and I must applaud you for keeping your love a secret for so long. That had to be difficult."

Lockwood looked at her a moment, then looked away. "Tell me about it," he murmured.

She paused, then shook her head; what an odd reaction. "Had I known that your heart was so clearly taken by somepony else, I would have never even thought about doing… what we didn't end up doing, thank goodness. I know it's been some time, but I really must apologize again—"

"You don't need to apologize, Rarity, believe me. You made a decision to act on what information you had, just like any other pony would have done in your horseshoes. It's my fault for… almost letting it happen."

"Oh?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I've never been good with spotting a mare's attraction to me. Blackburn had to be a little aggressive to get me to notice. If I'd spotted the thread, you and I could've avoided any… misunderstandings."

She walked along in silence for a moment, then made to say something, then decided against it. No, the conversation was already tremendously awkward, and it was probably better to leave it off at that; any further and it would just unravel into the two of them apologizing back-and-forth for something that never actually happened and that they should definitely stop discussing for exactly that reason.

Though, after hearing the tale of how Lockwood and Blackburn had gotten together, Rarity began to feel a little sick to her stomach; she'd come dreadfully close to ruining what they had between them, and no matter how much Lockwood wanted to take the blame for it, she knew that it was her fault in the first place for very nearly flagging her tail to a stallion who was just nice to her.

Had she truly been that desperate for a loving partner?

She supposed she couldn't really fault herself if she was, though. Lockwood ticked all sorts of boxes all those years ago, and she hated to admit that he ticked even more now. He was polite, charming, compassionate, had a good sense of humor, was always quick with a compliment, and a mare could just drown in those eyes of his. He was even more handsome now than she remembered thanks in no small part to his better figure, no doubt due to having access to healthier meals now that he was a king.

No, Rarity, don't go down that road of thought, she told herself. Dangerous ideas lie along that road.

She was glad when the fashion district came into view, apparent from the style of the writing on the signs and the manner in which the buildings were arranged with the large storefront windows and the ponyquins on display. Here was where the fashion of the passersby adjusted to be more in-line with what Rarity expected, though she immediately noticed two things about the upper-class fashion scene here:

First, her current outfit was horribly out of vogue, because in Hope's Point, lacy, risque dresses were out and jackets were in. The weather made them practical, and there was nothing more sensible to make fashionable than something practical. Unlike a dress, a jacket could be worn multiple times and not earn a single snide remark for the fashion crime of repetition; unlike a dress, a jacket went with quite literally everything and anything that could go underneath it; and unlike a dress, a jacket wasn't quite so revealing and was appropriate for any occasion.

Even her winter coat was a bit too much, though Rarity could smell it in the air: coats like hers would be in within the next few weeks. She'd have to be very careful with it until then so that her design wasn't sniped by some keen-eyed poseur; that had happened one time too many back home for her tastes, and she hated having to get… aggressive with the cretins who thought they could steal her work.

Second, the colors were a little more muted here than they were back home. Oh, there were plenty of different colors on display, but there wasn't quite the sort of brightness to them that she expected. Everything was, again, practical and fashionable at the same time; brighter colors were more difficult to wash, and if one was wearing a jacket consistently to keep warm, one couldn't afford to have it ruined in the laundry because of its coloration

She also noticed that there were a lot of pegasi present in the city. The only place back home that had such a large congregation of pegasi was Cloudsdale, but that went without saying; Hope's Point's populace, at least from what Rarity could see, was more than fifty percent pegasi, and the fashion reflected that. A pegasus would want a warm, practical jacket over some complicated mess of a coat, and at most would add a scarf to splash some color into it.

Still, it was clear that the eye for fashion was still present in Hope's Point, it was just different than what she was accustomed to, but then so had New Pandemonium's fashion scene with its provocative sensibilities; as Lace and Lapel, her fashion designer friends all those years ago, had said, "sex sells", and boy, did Rarity ever witness proof of that. But if she could adjust there, she could adjust here, and here seemed rather… easier? Was that the appropriate term?

"I must say, your city had quite the fine little fashion district, dear," Rarity said to Lockwood, keeping her choice of words cordial so as not to sound dismissive. "It's not as large and extravagant as what I've witnessed up north, but it's got a pleasantness to it that reminds me of certain places back home. Not ones I usually advertise in as much, but still. Very unique."

Lockwood nodded in understanding. "I know, it's not the same kind of glitz and glamour that New Pandemonium has, but then our citizens generally tried to distance themselves from that sort of style in every aspect of their lives for decades, y'know? Still, this is just the early winter fare. I'm told that the spring line is when it really picks up."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Ah, well, I don't know much about fashion, but I'm still connected pretty well. I'm sure you heard of the famous Ivory Charm back up north, hmm?"

Rarity tapped her chin, then nodded. "I seem to recall she was one of the most well-regarded models that had ever worked in the industry. Lace and Lapel were convinced that with a little effort, they could make Insipid into the next Ivory." She brightened briefly. "Speaking of—"

"Insipid's definitely popular, yes," Lockwood said with a bright grin. "She's the talk of the industry up north from what I hear, and has been for years. Havoc said she's still working for Lace and Lapel on official fashion lines, but she does a lot of freelance modeling for advertisements and such. You must've made quite an impression on her, 'cause she's completely modeled herself after you, y'know?"

"She has? I mean, I saw that she'd adopted my mane style, but there's more to me than my mane, dear."

"Ha ha, well, I mean, that's a bit superficial. I was more referring to how she acts. She's a proper lady and everything, at least from how Havoc describes her." Lockwood nodded firmly. "So yeah, she's done really well for herself. I know this comes across as… I dunno, something, but you should be proud of what you did. Whatever work ethic you instilled in her, she's got it in spades."

Rarity smiled. "Well, I certainly am looking forward to seeing her again. It's just awful that there's no way for us to see one another in person for another three weeks. But ah, c'est la vie. I'll have to rely on snippets of information that I can find here and there, I suppose."

"And hey, speaking of Havoc, there's somepony I think you oughta meet. I'll admit that I have an ulterior motive for coming here to the fashion district, 'cause I need to deliver some news, but I figured that getting two dishes on one plate was a good idea. Efficiency is the name of the game here in Hope's Point, after all."

"'Two dishes on one plate'? That's an odd turn of phrase, dear."

Lockwood blinked, then grinned. "Ah, it's uh, a variant on the 'two birds, one stone' saying. Fluttershy always hated that saying so I try my best not to use that particular set of words, yeah? For the most part I think it's actually caught on pretty well down here. I think they use a different one up north, though. 'Two sales with one coupon'?"

"I see. Well, that's admirable of you to consider Fluttershy's feelings like that even when she was no longer a part of your life. That's the sign of a true gentlecolt," she said with a grin, gently brushing her hoof along his chest.

Lockwood cleared his throat, then gestured for Rarity to follow him into a particular shop, one which looked like it was still in the works and hadn't finished setting up its sign or displays yet. A bell did jingle as they, with Crossfire trailing behind them, entered the shop, so it was obviously open for business in some capacity, though none of the ponyquins were wearing anything just yet; there was only a lonesome clothes rack off in the back.

"Coming!" called a mare's voice from the backroom.

The voice belonged to a pony that made Rarity double-take for a moment, just to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. No, there was no mistaking it, this pony could just about be Coco Pommel's twin, from the color of their coats to the hues of their eyes to the way in which they styled their manes and tails. Though Rarity wasn't sure the white dress was appropriate for the occasion, it did look absolutely gorgeous.

More importantly, the pony was… well, Rarity didn't want to assume anything just yet, so she was careful with how she considered them in her mind.

The earth pony's eyes widened when they saw Lockwood, though, and they gave a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Your Majesty," they said. "Um… welcome to my shop. I've been a bit distracted lately so I don't have everything all together yet, so, um… s-sorry about the mess."

"No worries at all, Cotton, believe me," Lockwood said with a laugh.

The pony, Cotton, then looked at Rarity and gave another polite nod. "How do you do, Miss? Welcome to… um… w-well, I haven't actually named the shop yet, either. The permits are still going through processing, and Havoc said she'd help me put a sign up tomorrow and paint it and all that, and I wasn't really expecting to be so stressed out today! Ugh. Sorry…"

"It's quite alright, darling," Rarity tittered. "I understand completely what sort of stress you must be going through, starting up a new business like this."

"Right. Um… thanks." Cotton then smoothed out their mane, then stepped forward to offer their hoof. "Um, I'm Cotton, Cotton Rose. And you are?"

"Rarity, dear," Rarity replied, taking the hoof and giving a gentle, friendly shake. "Forgive me if this is forward dear, but which is your preferred pronoun? Mare? Stallion? Or do you prefer something more neutral?"

The pony's eyes widened and they looked at Rarity with shock and surprise. "H-huh?'

"Your pronoun, darling? You have a wonderfully feminine figure, but there are aspects that have distinctly masculine qualities to them. Forgive the observation, but as a fashion designer myself, I know pony anatomy."

The pony's jaw dropped, then she shook off the confusion. "Uh, mare. I prefer mare 'cause I'm a mare. Wh-why do you ask?"

Rarity tilted her head, then gave a little smile. "Don't worry, Miss Rose, I assure you, I don't mean any offense by it. It doesn't mean much to say that I'm open-minded, but I did not want to make an assumption based on your appearance alone. Hence why I asked; you know that old saying about making assumptions. You are a beautiful mare, there is no question about that."

Cotton tilted her head, jaw still open, eyes narrowed, then shook it all off again. "Sorry. Sorry, I'm just… I'm so used to having to explain it—multiple times usually—that I was thrown for a loop that you asked me first." She cleared her throat. "So, what can I do for you? 'Cause, um… I'm not open yet. But I still accept private commissions until the store's open! They just might take longer."

"Oh, that's quite alright, dear, I'm not here on business." Rarity tilted her head towards Lockwood. "I'm just here as a guest of the king at the moment. Though you do have a lovely shop; I look forward to seeing it once it's open."

"The king?" Cotton's eyes drifted over to a smiling Lockwood. "Your Majesty! Shit, I forgot you were there. Sorry, sorry, it's been a rough day for me. I still haven't heard anything from Havoc. Have you?"

Lockwood cleared his throat. "Yes, actually. That's why I'm here."

"Oh, good. She told me you and Her Majesty were helping put the arrangements together, and I know she's buddy-buddy with you guys so I figured she wasn't just pulling my leg, but y'know, not hearing from her all day is putting me on edge. Is she passing out the invitations? 'Cause I said I'd give my mom hers myself."

"Ah, no. That's not… look, I'll just come right out and say it: Havoc's not here."

Cotton blinked. "Huh? I mean, obviously she's not. Unless she's hiding behind your bodyguard there. Hi Crossfire."

Crossfire nodded gently. "Ma'am."

Lockwood shook his head. "I mean, she's not here in the city. Her sister Dawn sort of… took her back up north. Without clearing it with Blackburn first. With… with the sandstorm, it's not likely she's coming back on her own until it's cleared up, and I've been told that Dawn is refusing to bring her back."

Cotton continued blinking. "So… she's not coming back tonight. Or until the storm's gone. Is that right?"

Lockwood rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… that's right. I'm sorry, Cotton, but—"

"No. It's okay. It's not your fault," Cotton said through clenched teeth; Rarity was amazed at how the mare's expression went from lighthearted-if-confused to sheer rage. "I can wait. I've waited this long, what's another three weeks? Hmm? It's no big deal."

Rarity knew enough about love to know that this was a lie; she figured even a simpleton would be able to figure that part out, just perhaps not the why, which was very much a matter of the heart. She sympathized; it had to be difficult, being separated from your lover for so long when you were clearly expecting so much from the evening.

The mare's white dress made sense, now; it was the foundation for a wedding dress that she was still frantically putting together.

If this tale was true, then Golden Dawn was committing an unforgivable sin against love, and Rarity wished that she could have words with that mare right this moment. She'd settle for whenever they saw each other again; that mare was going to get an earful, Rarity swore it.

"Are you gonna be alright, Cotton?" Lockwood asked, offering his hoof to the distraught mare. "Believe me, if anypony understands what this is like, it's me."

"I'll be fine," Cotton said without taking Lockwood's hoof, though it was obvious that she wasn't fine just based on the fire in her eyes. She shook her head and turned back towards the rear of the shop. "If you don't mind, Your Majesty, I'd like to be alone for a while. I have some… thinking to do. And drinking to do."

"I understand. If you need me for anything, I'll make sure that palace security knows to give you clearance." With a nod to Crossfire, who immediately set his hoof to his ear and stepped off to start talking to… somepony, Rarity figured that it was being taken care of with all due haste. "I'll check in on you tomorrow if you'd like?"

"That's alright, Your Majesty. Thanks, but… I need to be alone for a lil' while." With a sigh, she added, "I might as well get used to it…"

Rarity watched the mare go into the back of the store, and while a part of her wanted to offer condolences and comfort, she knew that it was best not to get involved in such delicate matters with a stranger. Maybe once she knew Cotton better, she'd be able to offer guidance and solace to her; with that thought, she knew she wanted to come back here soon to do what she could.

With that, though, Lockwood gestured for Rarity to follow him out of the shop, which she did without a second thought. Though, as they were leaving, she did ask him the most pertinent question that was on her mind: "So, Miss Havoc is engaged to that lovely mare, hmm?"

"Ah, yeah," Lockwood said with a nod and an awkward smirk. "It's supposed to be a secret, technically. Blackburn and I know about it 'cause we were organizing the wedding on short notice. It was gonna be a small ceremony, very private; Havoc doesn't want a big wedding, and Cotton respected that. From what I gathered, anyway.

"The guests were all gonna be surprised with the invitations, and it was a small guest list: me, Blackburn, Gray Skies, and Cotton's mother. We're really all just there as witnesses, but we're also there to support them; Havoc's been a great friend to Blackburn and me, to our city and citizens, so it's the least we could do to thank her for all she's done."

Rarity nodded, a small grin on her face. "Well, I'm glad to hear it, even if the circumstances are rather unfortunate. I assume that Dawn didn't know this before… 'abducting' Havoc?"

"No, but Havoc would've told her immediately about it. I know Havoc; she wouldn't just let this slide." Lockwood tapped his hooves together. "Which means that Dawn knows that Havoc wanted—needed—to get back here as soon as possible, and she's just… refusing to do it."

"I see. And this because Havoc is needed up north for something important?"

"I mean, I suppose so, yes. But… but Havoc and Curaçao would be able to handle it remotely, even if it's less efficient that way."

"And Dawn does this often?"

Lockwood tilted his head. "She does, yes. She's always been dedicated to her work to the point of being rather… unsociable and distant. I try to give her the benefit of the doubt, but this… well, this feels like a little much, even for her."

"Indeed. This situation doesn't exactly sit well with me." With a look back towards the shop, Rarity added, "I wish there was something I could do. You know, I might just come back here tomorrow, or perhaps the next day at the latest. Miss Rose needs something to distract her from the unfortunate news, and helping her with her new business would be an ideal distraction."

Lockwood smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Rarity. I'm sure she'd appreciate such a talented hoof helping her along in her affairs. A happy little coincidence that you two happened to meet."

"You mean me, a mare with a history with fashion as well as somepony who owns and maintains her own business and who would be just perfect to lend a hoof to a pony in need of guidance in starting up their own? Oh yes, I'm certain that bringing me here was a complete accident."

"Yup. Total accident."

Rarity smiled, rolling her eyes. "You haven't changed at all, darling. Though I must say it feels strange being on the other end of the equation."

"Yeah, I suppose you've never dreamt of me taking advantage of you before."

Rarity raised an eyebrow, but Lockwood seemed to realize what he'd said before she could reply.

"Take advantage of your skills, I mean!" he hastily corrected. "That's what I meant to say. You've surely never thought that I'd ever take advantage of your talent and know-how to help another pony in need, like I do all the time. Because, uh, I helped you once before by putting you in touch with somepony that could help, and now, um… now you're doing that for me. For Cotton, I mean."

She paused, her heart skipping just a beat. Still such a gentlecolt. Oh, if only the stallions back home had his charming demeanor…

She then smiled and started off down the street further into the fashion district. "Yes, well, you know me, Lockwood. I'm always willing to help a pony in need, whatever that may be. I didn't embody the Element of Generosity for nothing, you know. Now come along and show me around this wonderful little fashion district of yours. We still have some time before dining with your lovely wife."

He cleared his throat. "Ah… r-right, right behind you."

*****

Queen Blackburn rarely conducted business in the royal bedchambers, but that was where she chose to do so for the moment. Her prior arrangements would be postponed for most of the day—Gadget would see to that—because she wanted to focus entirely on the task at hoof: arranging guest suites for the new, unexpected guests that they'd been suddenly saddled with. She considered it a priority over all other tasks at the moment, mostly because it would be quick and simple.

"Gadget, which guest suites are currently unavailable?" she asked as she took a seat at a small dining table in the corner of the room; she and Lockwood only used it for when they decided to take meals in here, a rare occurrence but it helped to be prepared.

Gadget's hooves tapped the side of her set of goggles, which were more than just standard safety wear. "Let's see… unavailable? Well, Suites One through Five are currently in use by our guests from House Green while making some business arrangements in the city. They insisted on the full set."

"For the new greenhouse project," Blackburn stated with a nod, rapping the table with her hoof as she leaned back in her seat. "Status on deal?"

"They haven't reported anything new since yesterday, but I think they're still in talks with a few of the prospective buyers for their seed supplies. Oh, and here's a fun little detail: Sir Greenheart apparently wanted to get the full Hope's Point experience and had an appointment made for him at Château de la Paix for the evening."

"Hmm, good choice. Which package?"

"Ooh, he sprung for the special Goddess Treatment," Gadget snickered. "Somepony must've told him about it, 'cause they don't exactly put that on their public price list. Golly, he's in for a good night."

"Agreed. Contact establishment, arrange for Mint Cocoa and Mint Cream to be assigned to it. Best in the business, will make him feel… relaxed. Unburdened. Alleviated stress leads to potential open-mindedness during business arrangements tomorrow."

"Heh, will do, boss. I'll let the twins know it was your suggestion, they'll appreciate the word-of-mouth."

"Only fair. Can't advertise their services openly, after all."

Gadget tapped a few buttons on the side of her goggles, making the arrangements completely nonverbally with more speed than words could; her interface was catered specifically to her inputs and responded more quickly than any standard computer could. All done with an input device smaller than any keyboard, and without her being able to see what buttons she was pressing.

Gadget then continued, "Next, Suites Six and Nine, both for other visiting dignitaries here for… huh, they're just here on vacation, looks like, nothing big. They just arrived this morning… and requested rooms on opposite ends of that hall. Luckily we had the room, I guess. What a weird request."

"Lady Whitewater, third-born daughter of Lord Deepwater of Seaside, and Lord Windbreaker, second-born son of Lord Windwalker of High Mountain," Blackburn said with a nod. "Hmm, still too close for comfort. Ensure that staff in that corridor does not become nosy; reissue privacy protocols."

"Sure thing, but… why? Something I'm missing here?"

"Lord Windbreaker, engaged to Lady Rosegold, fourth-born daughter of Lord Golden Shield of Deepgrove; Lady Whitewater, engaged to Sir Watercrest, a minor noble in Seaside, her… third-cousin, I believe?" Blackburn shrugged. "However, witnessed interactions between the two at dignitary breakfast. Obvious they are having an affair. Do not wish for rumors to spread while House Green representatives are nearby."

"Golly, how scandalous." Gadget tapped a few buttons on her goggles again. "The order has been placed, so our illicit lovebirds should go undisturbed as long as they're within our borders. Are we being encouraging or just looking the other way?"

"Hmm… encouraging. Sir Watercrest, oafish, ill-tempered; will not make Lady Whitewater happy. Star-crossed affair appeals to me."

"Okay then, I'll even notify room service to promote aphrodisiacs. Y'know the palace kitchens started whipping up this new chocolate dish last month? It is to die for; really puts a mare in the mood, y'know?"

"Yes, quite aware, actually. Tried it then? Thought you were single at present?"

"Doesn't mean I can't go out and enjoy myself, boss. But I've got my eyes on somepony down in engineering, might see if he's interested. It's just been a rough week."

Blackburn smirked. "Of course. Try not to break this one?"

"No promises." Another few button presses. "Then there's Suite Thirteen, where we put up the kid, Sunspire, at your request. I guess it works out that we put him up here in the palace considering he works for the Shadow Associate, right? Is that the right word? 'Works'?"

Blackburn grunted. "Appropriate given how Winter described their first meeting. Disagree with treatment; deplorable attitude towards the young colt. Prefer to have him here; will not assume home life is bad, but see signs of mistreatment. He is enjoying his accommodations?"

"I haven't heard any complaints, one way or another. The service staff keeps putting in requests for reading material, though. Heh, kid's a reader alright." Gadget shrugged. She then grinned. "Ooh, and apparently he's been getting visitors. Well, one visitor: Gray's kid, Big Green?"

Blackburn couldn't help but smirk at Gadget's name for the young colt, Green Guard. Despite being only ten years old, he was nearly the same size as Gadget was, and she was more than twenty years his senior. The thought of how much larger he would grow as he got older was amusing.

"Logical. Knew each other when younger, likely old friends." Blackburn tapped her hoof on the table; a curious thought entered her head. "Green less sociable with others his age; quite sociable with Sunspire. Hasn't seen him in years. Hmm." She then shrugged and dropped the issue entirely.

"So, uh, since I doubt the kid's gonna bug anypony," Gadget continued, "that still leaves plenty of open suites on the third row for our new guests."

Blackburn stroked her chin and nodded. "Suites Ten and Eleven will be appropriate, for Rarity and Fluttershy respectively. Make it so. Also, schedule cleaning staff for Suite Ten tonight, inform them that guest requires services for clothing; saw Rarity cleaning coat following arrival, implies desire for cleanliness, offer as a courtesy."

Gadget nodded. "Done and done. Anything else?"

"No, arrangements are acceptable. Chief Storm has finished with security clearance?"

"Yup, got the notification just a few seconds ago, nice timing as always boss."

"Know Stellar's work ethic; she would not let assignment stew." Blackburn rose from her seat and nodded firmly. "Excellent, arrangements made, and in good time. Exemplary performance."

"As if we'd give you anything but," Gadget scoffed.

Blackburn sighed and walked over to the mini fridge near the entertainment center, hoisting out a dark beer for herself; she didn't need Gadget's help opening it and wouldn't have asked anyway. She took a long swig, then nodded to herself. "Good. Very good. Stressful week, at least something is going smoothly."

Gadget raised an eyebrow. "Since when does your dark beer go down smoothly?"

"Not the beer. The situation. Glad to know that despite unexpected circumstances, situation is being handled expediently. Would prefer that others in their group were present, could arrange accommodations for them as well. Would rather not leave safety of Twilight Sparkle and Applejack to chance; regrettable circumstances."

"Well, yeah, I mean… sure, that makes sense." Gadget tilted her head. "Are you alright, Blackburn? This is me talking here, your friend Gadget, not your right-hoof Gadget. I know you, and I know how you work, but you've been taking care of this with… well, a lot more priority than I was expecting. Even when we had a freakin' alicorn goddess drop into our laps, you were pretty calm and nonchalant about it."

Blackburn paused, then took another drink. "Feeling a bit… nostalgic. That's all. Uneasy feeling. Not sure how to react, figured it was better to focus efforts."

"'Nostalgic'?"

"Yes. Rarity looks familiar, hmm?"

"Huh?" Gadget scratched her temple, then her eyes widened. "Oh! Oh wow, now that you mention it, yeah… yeah she does. I mean, the mane color is a bit different, but yeah, she looks just like Queen Silver Glow, doesn't she?"

"Originally thought that was all," Blackburn said, sighing and looking at the ceiling.

"Okay, you lost me again. What?"

Blackburn turned to Gadget, a sad smile on her face. "Lockwood told story of how he came back to us—to me. Story is complicated, involves some twists and turns, would rather keep some information private. However, story is where I recognized Fluttershy and Rarity's names.

"After story was told, had Chief Storm perform background checks on group, same ones that arrived here today, all from another world. Didn't have indication that they were from such a place, though suspected something strange. Their backgrounds were nonsensical in NPRD database, but Lockwood assured me that the truth was unimportant, and confidential."

"And obviously now we know why," Gadget finished. "So you knew what they looked like before you met them today, I take it? 'Cause now I get it. I guess I'd be thrown for a loop too if I knew there was a mare out there that looked like my stepmom… if I had a stepmom, I guess? I guess just my mom in that case, actually."

"Hmm. Quite. But more to it than that now." Blackburn took another drink and retook her seat. "Rarity resembles Silver Glow physically, yes. Beautiful, fashionable, similar coloration even. Today, learned similarities continue: voices similar, intonation similar, even utilize similar turns of phrase." With a sigh, she added, "Silver sometimes called me 'darling' as a filly. Hated it then, miss it now."

Gadget nervously rubbed her neck. "Oof, yeah, that's probably not bringing back memories in the right way. I didn't really notice it before, but now that you mention it, the resemblance is uncanny." She set a hoof on Blackburn's shoulder. "If you're feeling a bit shaken, I can take over for you on a few things. It's mostly just a bunch of meaningless bullshit, and I know how to deal with all of it."

Blackburn shook her head. "No, unnecessary. Appreciate offer, but will be able to continue. Just need a drink and a moment to think." With one last drink as she drained the bottle, she added, "Week has already been stressful. Planned for next weeks to be stressful. Now must plan for additional stress. Such is the life of a queen."

Chapter Seventeen: Realization

Twilight hadn't originally given Queen Blackburn's statement much thought when she'd said that this expedition could take days. True enough that the trip from Hope's Point to the edge of the Belt had taken a full day, and true enough that it took almost an entire day after that to reach the ruined structures that the Comet Chaser crew had originally found, but she had not expected it to take two more after that before anything of note came up.

Supplies were in good order at least, as the Comet Chaser was equipped to support a full week of exploration for the crew of three and up to seven passengers, which they had packed for. With only five passengers, they had extra food that could be rationed if need be so that the ship could stay out an extra day—and only one—but hopefully it wouldn't be needed.

It was late at night when the ship spotted anything of any particular note. Up until that point, all that they'd found was crumbling structures of little importance to the mission: remains of what could have been guard towers or small business at best, judging by the manner in which the buildings were constructed and their location. Pandemonia had said that in her last memory, her Warden, Peach Blossom, had arrived at the city's docks. That meant, logically, the southern edge of the city.

And now, they had found it.

Twilight had expected to see eroded buildings and sand in the same state as she'd been seeing for much of the past few days, but this was far different. The ground here was mostly intact; there was still plenty of sand due to two thousand years of erosion, but there was also lots of solid rock. A giant cliff, actually, much like the cliff that Hope's Point was built on now, only buried under an unknowable volume of water.

Most of the buildings weren't just crumbling either, but had been utterly broken, ripped apart by an unknown force that had also left great chasms in the rock. The black marble-like material that the minotaurs supposedly used was on full display here; entire buildings were built into the cliff and made of such material. It was no wonder that the southern ponies in ages past had nicknamed the city "Blackcliff".

"The city didn't just disappear," Twilight noted as she observed their discovery from the cockpit viewscreen. "It sank into the sea. The entire piece of land it was built on sank into the sea." She turned to Captain Ember. "And you're certain that none of the other exploration vessels have seen anything like this so far?"

"No, Princess," Ember said, her wings tilting ever-so-slightly so that the Comet Chaser would dive and curve around a large chunk of cliff. "We're the only crew that found anything at all. Granted, we're the only ones who went far enough into the Belt, but still…"

"What's your thought here?" Winter asked, giving Twilight a curious look.

Twilight tapped her chin, then gestured towards the map that the ships' crew had been charting of their discoveries thus far. "The fact that the only evidence of the minotaurs is along such an isolated area suggests that their city wasn't built along the entire coastline, but was built more like Hope's Point is. Larger, certainly, but similar in design.

"For it to reach this far out, it would suggest that either Athenos was built on an island or a peninsula; the difference is negligible, but an island would better explain why there's no evidence whatsoever of the minotaurs on the northern continent. The island certainly could have been close enough to the mainland to be considered part of it, however."

"Why does that matter?" asked Ember.

"It makes more sense for an entire island to sink into the sea than a peninsula. Rather, it's more believable… or less unbelievable?" Twilight shook her head. "It's not really relevant at all, actually. Just trying to make some sense of it. If the minotaurs had any settlements on the continent itself outside of Athenos though, surely the gryphons would have found them."

"Not really somethin' worth makin' theories on at the moment, I'd say," Winter noted, turning her attention fully to the viewscreen. "What's important is findin' someplace where we can investigate what happened here, what happened to Pandemonia's Warden and thus to her." She turned to Copper, who was seated at a station in the cockpit. "Anything?"

Copper scratched her head. "All of my readings so far suggest this is just one big old hunk of rock, my dude. Apart from all the cracks and stuff, yeah? But even those are just that: cracks."

"If you cut a slice of cake, the cake isn't suddenly hollow," Ember noted with a sagely nod.

"Weird analogy, but okay," Winter grunted. "So it's not exactly like Hope's Point, then. Hope's Point has a massive underground section built into the hollowed-out cliff. Looks to me like the minotaurs just built on top of and onto the side of the cliff and that was that." A pause, then she turned back to Copper. "And none of these buildings are big enough to be worth lookin' at?"

"Noperino, dude."

"Fuckin' hell, this is startin' to feel like a waste of time."

"We can't give up yet, Winter," Twilight said, setting her hoof on Winter's shoulder. "This is the best evidence we've gotten so far. There's got to be something around here that we can look into. Let's consider Pandemonia's story. Is there anything she said that we can use to narrow our search?"

Winter gestured out at the bottom of the cliff, where there were tons of small, demolished harbors. "She said the last thing she remembered was her Warden gettin' off her boat at the port and goin' into a temple. Any one of those docks down there could be it, and we don't know what buildings could be temples."

Copper's eyes widened, and she pointed up at the corner of the viewscreen. "That looks pretty temple-y to me, dudes."

Ember shifted the spotlight up to where Ember was pointing, and now Twilight and Winter could see it clearly too. It wasn't a building, no, but it was certainly a structure, one that would definitely indicate something of major importance nearby.

A minotaur statue. A big minotaur statue. Twilight was rather reminded of the Statue of Friendship on Friendship Island off the coast of Manehattan, only much bigger. Considering how big the Statue of Friendship was, this fact was actually quite alarming; that statue had been built in Manehattan less than two hundred years ago, but this statue was built over two thousand years ago. How? The logistics of such a feat with that technological level and without magic seemed impossible.

The minotaur depicted was mostly featureless, so if it represented any particular minotaur, nopony present could possibly know. The statue's arms were outstretched, its legs tight and its hooves together at the base, a grand welcoming gesture if there ever was one. Odd, considering that Pandemonia claimed that the minotaurs were raiding the ponies' coastal settlements and ships, but then the statue was surely meant to appeal to other minotaurs.

More importantly, though, was the fact that a large harbor was build all around the statue—it was not built upon an island like the Statue of Friendship was—and that directly behind the statue was a large, singular structure built into the cliff that stretched all the way up from the base to the very top. It was somehow miraculously and mostly intact; the same could be said of the statue, which was made of some kind of metal rather than stone and yet had barely oxidized whatsoever.

"That's a big dude," Copper observed succinctly.

"You can say that again," Winter said with awe. "Fuck me, how'd they build that thing so big, eh? This fucker's as big as some of the smaller skyscrapers up in New Pandemonium."

"Judging by the physique of the minotaur depicted here, and assuming that that could be considered an average base from which to measure other minotaurs, it could be just sheer strength and numbers," Twilight suggested. "That's still impressive, of course."

"That structure behind it seems important," Winter noted, pointing at said structure. "It's the only one in this area that hasn't fallen apart. And with this big fuck-off harbor here, I'd say we found our landing point."

Copper nodded. "Yeah yeah, good call. That structure's built into the cliff just like all the others." A pause while the equipment scanned the area. "Aww, bummer dude. It just goes up the cliff like all the others too. Nothing special about—" Another pause, and her eyes widened. "Whooaa, no way. There's, like, a tunnel system under it."

Twilight and Winter moved over to take a look at her console. Sure enough, the image displayed an image generated by seismic resonators that indicated there was a hollow section underneath the main entrance of the structure. As the equipment continued scanning, it was clear that there was a large section of the cliff that had been hollowed out behind the structure.

"That's the best lead we've had so far," Twilight said firmly. "This spot here is definitely where Warden Peach Blossom disembarked, and that structure is definitely the temple." She tapped her chin. "But how do we get in? The tunnels are much too narrow for the Comet Chaser to fit, and we don't want to use the mining laser here in case we damage something important."

"Not to worry, Princess Twilight, this ship's equipped with state-of-the-art diving equipment," Captain Ember said with a proud smile. "And I'm not talking about something silly like scuba gear, no sir. Well, it's kind of like scuba gear, but better. Much better."

"Are we going to be getting off the ship?"

"Yup!"

"Uh, y'know the pressure outside'll kill us, right?" Winter noted.

"Oh yeah, sure, if the diving gear wasn't equipped with personal shields like the Comet Chaser itself is." Ember nodded firmly, then turned to Copper. "Copper, take them down to the passenger cabin and get everypony together, please. You and Sparky can get them all situated for disembarking procedures."

Copper gave a little salute. "You got it, Cap." She hopped out of her seat and headed towards the exit of the cockpit. "Follow me, dudes. We're gonna get you all set up for some righteous deep sea diving. Lucky."

"What about you?" Winter asked, tilting her head up at Ember. "What're you gonna do?"

"Oh, I'm just gonna park the Comet Chaser right over here next to the temple entrance while you folks go on your expedition. I'll be here when you're done to pick you up and take us home."

"Right. Just, uh… watch out for sea serpents I guess."

"Will do, Miss Glow. I hope you guys find whatever it is you're looking for. Have fun!"

Twilight and Winter followed Copper back to the passenger cabin, where the other expedition members were all firmly glued to the windows.

Rainbow noticed the pair coming in and immediately pointed out the window excitedly while giving Twilight a big, bright smile. "Yo Twi! You seein' this?! There's a giant statue outside! A giant minotaur statue!"

"Yes, Rainbow, we saw it," Twilight said with a cheeky grin. "And yes, I've already had the same thought: it's just like—"

"—just like the Colossus of War from Daring Do and the Marauders of The Forbidden City! One of the lost Wonders of the World! I mean, this is a minotaur, not a unicorn, but the point still stands. So. Awesome!" Her face then slapped back onto the window as if drawn there by a magnet. "I am so glad I came along."

"Remember, Rainbow, this isn't a field trip, it's a legitimate expedition," tutted Winter. "We're not here to have fun."

"Yeah yeah, I know. But I can have fun and be on the lookout for clues. Don't you worry, I won't let you guys down."

Twilight stepped over to Hourglass and Sunspire on the opposite window. "Are you guys ready to get moving? Captain Ember's gonna take us closer and then we're gonna… get out of the ship, apparently, and go inside the temple."

Hourglass's eyes widened in surprise. "We're getting off the ship? What about the water pressure?"

"That's what these are for, little dude!" said Copper, who had come back from a supply room in the back of the ship, along with Ensign Spark.

The two were carrying a set of five diving suits that absolutely reminded Twilight of scuba gear, only much more robust and high-tech. They were all colored in the Comet Chaser's crew colors, black and light blue, but also had some of Hope's Point livery on the more technical bits of equipment.

"All of the deep sea vessels have a full set of these babies," Copper explained, holding one of the suits up. They looked rather… small. Not just for Twilight, but for everypony. Even Winter, actually. "Like the Cap said, they're state-of-the-art diving suits equipped with a shield projector that works just like the Comet Chaser's shields do. The included battery gives you one hour of use."

"We only have one hour to get our work done?" Winter balked. "Are you fuckin' jokin', mate?"

"Oh, naw, but don't you worry bro, these suckers only drain the juice when the shields are on. If you don't need 'em, don't use 'em. And we can recharge 'em on the ship, too, so no worries! Just come back, take a break, then go back out."

"They're also equipped with nifty breathing apparatuses," said Spark as she tapped a nozzle on the front of the suit. "It actually filters out oxygen from the water for you to breathe and filters out the carbon dioxide you exhale, all without impairing your ability to talk. The captain's using a simpler version of the same tech, and the ship itself uses the tech so that we all have air to breathe in here."

Copper smiled wide. "See? High-tech! State-of-the-art! Totally rad!"

"They look… small," Twilight noted, scuffed her hoof nervously on the floor. "I don't see how I'm gonna fit into one of those."

"Ohhh hey, no worries, Princess dude! The suit material is elastic! Fits any size, guaranteed. It's totally righteous stuff, I'm tellin' ya." Copper offered a suit to Twilight. "Here, give it a try. Go on. Put it on."

Twilight looked around at the others present, then tilted her head. "You… want me to get undressed right here in front of everypony? I thought there were rules?"

Copper blinked, then laughed. "Aha! Oh no, no way Princess dude. We've got a changing room in the back. Haaa. No way I'd make you get all nudie in front of your friends. That'd be gnarly. I mean, unless you're into that sort of thing, right?" A pause, then a look at Sunspire. "Oh. But I wouldn't let you do it in front of the squirt, anyway. Most uncool."

Sunspire tilted his head. "Huh?"

"R-right." Twilight cleared her throat, then took the suit and headed past Copper and Spark into the back area.

Spark followed and showed Twilight to where the changing room was, and even graciously stood outside to… stand guard, or something. The changing room wasn't built for a pony of Twilight's size, obviously, but she tried her best to finagle her way into the suit in such tight quarters.

She was surprised, actually, at how easy it was to do so. When she placed her hoof into the opening at the top and pushed inward, the material stretched dramatically until she stopped. There weren't any sleeves to insert herself into, oddly, not that she could feel at least, so she just placed another hoof and leg all the way in, then another, then another.

She then tugged the material up and over her body with incredible ease, including her wings, which she stretched out fully so that she'd have full use of them, finishing it all off by pulling the "hood" with the breathing apparatus over her head. It even fit nice and snug over her horn.

Everything about it felt exactly like a scuba suit. The odd thing was that she was certain that it should have felt incredibly tight against her skin and coat, and yet it felt immensely comfortable. If not for the fact that she couldn't feel the sensation of air against her bare coat, she'd have sworn she wasn't wearing anything whatsoever.

Once she felt comfortable, she exited the changing room, and Ensign Spark was on her almost immediately, adjusting various pieces of equipment and ensuring that everything was snug and safe; she didn't need Spark to tell her what she was doing, she just knew it, and the young mare was quite efficient at it it seemed.

After Spark was done, Twilight headed back into the passenger area to where the others still were. To… show it off, she supposed.

She was surprised when Rainbow let out a loud wolf whistle. "Daaang, Twi, what'd they do, pour you into that thing? Lookin' good!"

Twilight lifted up a hoof to examine herself slightly, considering the statement, then nodded. "I mean, technically, yeah. It's pretty elastic. It stretches and then snaps tight against your body like a… a second skin, kind of. It's actually pretty amazing stuff, whatever it is." She turned to Copper. "I don't suppose you can tell me what it's made of?"

Copper zipped her hoof over her mouth. "Trade secret, Princess duderino. I can tell you that it's a modified version of our military-grade bodysuits, though, the kind the militia ponies wear under their armor. Isn't it rad?"

"I'll say it is," Rainbow quipped. "Let me get in on that action next." As Rainbow grabbed her suit, she nudged Copper in the side gently. "And, uh, if you can tell me where I can get one of these for my wife, I'd owe you a favor big time. Like, the hugest. We'll talk."

As Twilight headed off to get changed, Twilight stepped over to Winter and gave her friend a little smile. "I really was worried for a bit there that it wouldn't fit. This is some pretty impressive stuff if it can accommodate even a mare my size." She tapped her chin. "I wonder what the limit is?"

Winter, who was sweating profusely and whose face was terribly red, just licked her lips and nodded. "Ah… r-right. It… it sure looks… c-comfy."

Twilight smiled and nodded. "Oh, it is. I was telling myself earlier that it feels like I'm wearing nothing at all," she said as she turned in place briefly, making sure she didn't accidentally whack Winter in the face with her flank.

Winter let out a noise that sounded like a bizarre mix between a tea kettle and a grunt, then grumbled something under her breath and directed her gaze directly at the floor. And, when Rainbow was done getting changed, Winter almost immediately grabbed her own suit and bolted straight for the changing room so quickly that nopony'd even realized she'd done so until she was already gone.

Rainbow blinked and watched her go, then scratched her head. "Dang. I thought I was fast. What was that all about?"

Twilight shrugged, a small grin on her face. "I'm not sure. Probably just excited to head off on the expedition so she can answer all the questions she's been looking for answers to, y'know?"

Once everypony had gotten changed—Sunspire seemed a little nervous about the whole deal, though everypony had the tact not to acknowledge it—it was time to disembark, a process that Twilight had been most curious about but which turned out to be rather simple, yet elegant, like a lot of the things Hope's Point seemed to strive for in their technology.

The expedition team gathered inside the boarding hall; it was a tight fit with all five of them at once, so Twilight had to scrunch up right on top of Winter to take advantage of their size difference. Twilight was sure she heard Winter make that weird noise again, whatever it was.

Then, Copper sealed the hall behind them, and the boarding ramp deployed to allow them to exit the ship. The Comet Chaser's shields were remarkable in that they allowed air and water in but not foregin particles, but also allowed the expedition team to pass through, as though the technology could be tweaked with a list of "friendly" objects.

Twilight and her team made for the entrance of the temple structure—they were still assuming it was a temple for now—under the guidance of the Comet Chaser's searchlight. The entrance was suitably huge, not just because it was used by a race of creatures that stood tall and bipedal, but because the structure was obviously important to their culture. The doors at Canterlot's Royal Palace were also quite large for much the same reason.

She once again had to marvel at the technology used in the diving suits; the water at this depth would surely be freezing beyond just crushing, but she felt pleasantly warm. And the shields were all working perfectly; the subtle golden glow around herself and her comrades proved that.

Once inside, Twilight lit up her horn… only to remember that her horn was covered in the suit material and as such her light spell wasn't visible to anypony; her magic was essentially unusable. Luckily, Winter was already two steps ahead and knew how to turn on her diving suit's flashlight, which was located on a small attachment just over the breathing apparatus so that it shined wherever Winter's muzzle was pointed.

The others followed suit, and now they all had flashlights, even Rainbow, the only non-unicorn present. Just another nifty little feature of this technology, it seemed.

The entrance to the tunnel system they'd seen on the sensors was not right out in the open, but hidden underneath a seemingly random floor panel behind a seemingly random pillar. Luckily, two thousand years of neglect and erosion had chipped away at the methods used to hide the entrance; the trapdoor was warped, and if there had been a rug or something over it, it had long since rotted away.

The decorations and architecture of the temple entrance should have been mesmerizing to Twilight, but she could tell three things about everything right away: one, everything was so eroded and warped that there was no way anypony could gather any meaningful details; two, the "black marble" that everything was made of wasn't extraordinary, just black-colored marble and that was it.

Three, exploring up here was a waste of time, since if some mysterious circumstances had caused the disappearance of Pandemonia and her Warden, the source of those circumstances was not about to be out in the open for all to see. Maybe it would, but it was far more likely to be located underneath a hidden passageway. Rainbow wasn't the only one who could follow Daring Do logic.

From there they descended down a long, spiral staircase—swimming, not walking—until they reached the bottom, then continued along a relatively short corridor until they came across something truly remarkable and bizarre: the water just… stopped.

An invisible barrier of some sort stood in the path ahead, cold, crushing seawater on one side, open air on the other. The barrier had clearly been in place for quite a long while, as the walls on the watery side had abundant evidence of erosion while the walls on the other side were in pristine condition. There was otherwise no indication that anything was amiss.

"Okay, that's a bit freaky," said Rainbow as she moved up closer to the divide, her voice distorted by her apparatus. "It's like there's a pane of glass here or something."

Twilight lit her horn briefly, then nodded in understanding; her magic could at least still be used to detect things. "It's definitely some sort of barrier magic, but not like anything I've ever seen before." She then lurched forward; Rainbow had reached out to touch it. "Rainbow!"

Rainbow knocked her hoof against the invisible barrier to find that it wasn't just invisible, it was intangible. Her hoof went right through it. "Whoa-ho, neat." She shoved her whole limb inside, wiggled it around, then pulled it back out. "Awesome. It's totally dry on the other side!"

"Which means this thing isn't an illusion," Winter noted, tilting her head at the divide. "What kind of barrier magic would only keep out the water?"

"Maybe it works like these shields?" Rainbow suggested, tapping the golden glow that flickered over her chest. "Or like, the shield around all of Hope's Point or something?"

"Hope's Point's shield is primarily technological in nature with only minor technomagic elements just for operational purposes and power supply. The minotaurs didn't have technomagic."

"That we know of," Twilight quipped.

Winter blinked. "Yeah, fair enough. Still, it's more likely this is purely magical in nature. How the minotaurs used magic is anypony's guess, but unless ya wanna tell me that we stumbled across an air pocket in the middle of a hallway, magic's involved."

Twilight nodded. "Like I said, I definitely detect magic from this… division here."

"You can see it too, right Sunsy?" Hourglass asked, nudging Sunspire.

He shook his head. "Not with my goggles on, and I can't take them off while I've got this mask over my face."

"Well why do you still have them on in the first place?"

"All the magic from the storms out there just… they overload my senses." He pressed his hoof to his temple. "I tried to look at the storm when we first entered it and I got the worst headache ever."

Hourglass frowned and hugged the colt close. "Aww. Are you feeling alright now? I don't want to sound like a jerk, but we might need those powers of yours, and I don't want to force you to use 'em if you're feeling ill."

He smiled back at her. "I'm fine. I haven't taken my goggles off in days now, except for when I'm sleeping. I'm in good shape to look for clues… once I can get these goggles off, of course."

"What're we still waiting around out here for?" Rainbow groaned. "I don't know about you guys, but I wanna get a move on. Adventure awaits!"

Before anypony could say anything else, Rainbow swam through the barrier and landed on the solid floor below, safe and sound. She even examined herself to check for any sign of injury or change before pumping a hoof and taking a few steps further in. Since nothing seemed to be wrong, Winter shrugged and followed suit, then Twilight, then Hourglass and Sunspire.

True enough, the hallway beyond the divide was totally dry; no water had even clung to their diving suits and as such no water dripped onto the floor whatsoever. Nothing else about the ponies or their suits changed; all of the gear still worked as far as Twilight could tell, and she couldn't feel anything different about herself either.

The subtle golden glow of the shield technology was gone, though, which should have been worrying because it meant that the ponies were no longer being protected against the crushing pressure of the bottom of the ocean. If the shields weren't glowing though, that meant there was nothing exerting pressure on them. To Twilight this seemed bizarre; surely there was still pressure down here even without the water?

She wasn't quick enough to stop Rainbow from removing her breathing apparatus and peeling off her hood. "Rainbow! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head. "There's no water down here so we should be able to breathe just fine."

"What if this was a vacuum and there wasn't any oxygen in here at all? Or what if the air in here was poisonous or… or filled with alien particles that could be lethal to your immune system? What if—"

"Nothing happened, Twi, relax," Rainbow said with a wide grin. "This is just a regular old archaeological expedition in some old ruins of an ancient dead race hidden under the ocean, not on another planet. Technically. Firmly rooted in standard action-adventure stuff, fantasy at best because of that magic barrier. This ain't no sci-fi story."

"Would you have acted differently if it was?" asked Winter, also taking off her mask.

"Oh heck yeah. If this were some weird alien planet I'd be the last one to let anypony take their masks off even if you were all yelling at me how safe it was. That's how you get the alien virus spore in your brain that turns you into a mutant zombie that makes you kill your starship crew until they bring out the flamethrowers." Rainbow shrugged. "Basic stuff."

Twilight ran her hooves over her face as both Hourglass and Sunspire followed suit and removed their own apparatuses. "And how is this any different from what you just described? What if the minotaurs died out due to some… some unknown magical disease and now you're all breathing in the spores?!"

"Well we'd be right screwed, wouldn't we?" chuckled Winter. She reached her hoof into her diving suit and pulled out her Timekeeper pocket watch. "If it makes ya feel any better, Timekeepers come with all sorts of automatic warning systems to alert me to those so-called 'invisible' dangers."

Hourglass nodded in agreement. "Besides the obvious Void energies, it also detects radioactivity, airborne bacteria that don't register as benign, fungal spores that don't register as benign, natural gas leaks, aaaand carbon monoxide. Among other things."

"Even detects poisons in food and drinks," Winter said with a grin. "We have to calibrate them so that it doesn't go off around the alcohol of whatever world we're in. Shot of certain tequila brands from this world would register as poisonous in yours."

"Oh good, that makes me feel better about your drinking habits."

Winter rolled her eyes. "I don't have a drinking habit, I have a drinking problem. Usually that problem is that I'm not drinking enough." She then gestured for the group to follow her. "Come on, everypony. We've got ruins to explore. Stick together, don't wander off, and if you need to stop for anything let the group know first."

"Pretty basic survival horror stuff," Rainbow agreed with a sagely nod. "Never split the party."

Twilight sighed, shook her head, then removed her own apparatus and followed after the others.

The hallway turned out to be a lot shorter than Twilight expected it to be, ending in a stairwell that led up and into another room. As soon as the lead pony, Winter, stepped up the stairs and into the room beyond, though, the group all jumped at the sudden appearance of a lightsource. A lot of light sources, actually.

"What the f—" Winter started, startled and glancing about for any source of a threat. "Who's there? Come out!"

But there wasn't an answer.

Twilight poked her head up—it was easy to press ahead and get a good vantage point due to her height—to see if she could see anything.

The light source that had suddenly appeared provided ample lighting throughout the new room that they'd found, its source being assorted lanterns hung strategically from the walls, ceilings, and pillars to give everything just this perfectly sinister glow. The lantern lights were blue rather than the typical orange-yellow glow of a regular fire.

The room seemed to be a foyer of what definitely looked just like an ancient foreboding temple should look like, at least according to, again, every Daring Do book ever. It was bizarre how even across entire worlds with different cultures and histories that the ancient civilizations just seemed to have this aesthetic to them that felt so sinister.

With that thought in mind, Twilight wondered if this world had its own Daring Do-like adventurer, and if they happened to moonlight as a world-famous author who wrote about their adventures into a series of novels intended for young colts and fillies, but enjoyable at any age of course.

Actually, now that Twilight got a good look around, the foyer here looked exactly like the foyer outside, the one that was buried under immeasurable tons of seawater. They'd even ascended up into it through a small stairwell at the end of the hall and up through a hidden passage located in the same position as before, though this one was not actually hidden, not when they found it at any rate.

Curious, Twilight lit up her horn to investigate the lanterns' light source. "Aha! It's a continual flame spell, a pretty basic enchantment that utilizes runic markings. That's how the minotaurs were capable of using magic: they were masters of Runomancy."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Like the zebras?"

"Like your zebras, yes. Our zebras are masters of Alchemy. Or… one of them is, anyway."

"Whatever. So, who turned them on?"

"We did," Twilight said with a sagely nod. "The spell is proximity-activated so that the lanterns are only lit while somepony… er, some… sometaur?" A pause. "They only light up when someone—minotaur, pony, whatever—is in the vicinity."

Winter glanced up at the lantern closest to her, then shook her head. "Well, at least they're bright. Saves us the trouble of using our own lights."

Twilight called down for the others to come up, and everypony got a chance to look around, though they made sure to stay in the foyer where there was light. A large archway ahead led on to another room, but the other room was pitch dark; none of the lantern light from the foyer seemed to penetrate the darkness beyond the arch. As if the place wasn't creepy enough.

Rainbow in particular took to the air to examine the ceiling, which towered even above Twilight. Based on the size of the hallway and the stairs, Twilight could tell that minotaurs were tall, about Celestia's height—or Pandemonia's, to use an example from the current world. The ceiling's height was clearly just for aesthetics.

Speaking of aesthetics, since this section of the temple was intact, Twilight now had ample opportunity to observe the sort of architecture these ancient minotaurs used. They were definitely fond of columns, that much was obvious, with a copious amount of fluting leading up to rather elaborately-designed capitals. There was a definite sense of balance and proportion to how the columns were spaced; it explained how the structures had stood the test of time so well, even out in the waterlogged section.

There was plenty of iconography around so that, just in case anypony had any doubts, anyone would know that minotaurs used this temple. Minotaur forms had been sculpted into the walls to make them sort of "pop" a bit, giving off the impression that hordes of the creatures were gathered behind the wall and reaching out, hands outstretched, faces contorted in desperation. They were disturbingly lifelike.

"Okay, so, this is creepy," Rainbow said bluntly as she landed back with the others. "I'm not the only one that thinks that, right?"

"Hardly," grunted Hourglass, who was busy keeping herself very close to Sunspire, and thus in turn to Twilight. "The gryphon ruins at least felt like a regular city wherever you went, even in the secret vaults and such. This temple feels bloody spooky."

"It's the lighting that does it," Winter said simply. "The gryphon ruins don't have lighting of their own anymore, so we just use our own; whatever lights the gryphons used have long since run out of juice or got looted. These lanterns are giving us just enough light to see but not enough to feel… safe?"

"Yeah, that's a good call. I don't feel 'safe' in these lights."

"We may as well move forward," Twilight suggested, gesturing with her hoof into the darkness of the next room.

"Yup. Into the next dark, scary room," Hourglass muttered. "No problem at all there. No sir."

And so they did proceed into the next dark, scary room, Winter in the lead as she seemed to want to do, and as soon as she passed through the threshold of the archway, the next room slowly lit up as lanterns strewn about ignited in blue flame. The room much resembled the one they were just leaving, only quite a bit grander and with a lot more space to move and breathe; it had to be nearly thirty feet tall!

Twilight's guess was that this was some sort of main hall that led to every other possible section of the temple. The royal palace in Hope's Point had a similar chamber, as did her own palace back home, as did her old castle back in Ponyville, though the latter also originally contained the Friendship Map and thus also served as a sort of meeting room. In the dim, appropriately creepy lighting of the room, she could just make out a large stairwell that led upwards.

The room was decorated again with elaborate columns, these ones much more artistic in a sense. Rather than just fluted columns, they were also composed of carved minotaurs posed to look as if they were holding the columns up.

Each pose was different: one was taking a knee and bearing the weight with his shoulders; another was standing tall, arms stretched over his head; another was using one hand only, the other hand reaching down as if towards a passerby. The carvings were utterly perfect so far as Twilight could tell; having never seen one of this world's minotaurs in person—and they were certainly more menacing than Iron Will back home—she could only guess that these were true to life.

Incidentally, once everypony was out of the previous room, its lanterns turned off automatically and instantly.

"Oh good," Hourglass muttered as she looked up at one of the statues, this one holding up his column as if it were actively trying to crush him. "More creepy statues."

"I don't think they're creepy at all," said Sunspire, admiring the same statue she was. "I don't know much about art, but I'd say a lot of effort was put into these to make them seem so lifelike."

"Lifelike, yeah. Is that why it feels like their eyes are following me?"

"That's just a trick of the light," said Twilight, observing the same statue as well. True, slight moves left or right did make the statue's eyes look like they were following her, but she knew it was an optical illusion. "There's nothing to be afraid of down here, Hourglass. And if there is, you just stay by me and I'll keep you safe."

"It's kinda lame if you ask me," Rainbow huffed, fluttering up to get right in the face of the one-hand-lifting minotaur. "I thought for sure we'd have come across a trap or something by now. There wasn't even a trap when we walked through that wall or whatever it was."

Twilight grunted. "Rainbow, are you trying to tempt fate here?"

"No, I'm just saying that if I was a group of ancient minotaurs that was trying to protect a hidden temple where there was obviously something fishy going on, the first thing I'd do is hide it behind a secret passage. Check, done-zo, they did that part already.

"The next step, naturally, is to boobytrap the ever-loving heck out of the place. Where are all the flame jets that shoot out of the walls? Where are all the pressure plates that make boulders fall out of the ceiling? Where are all the pitfalls hidden underneath breakaway sections of floor?"

"What is your obsession with traps?" Winter scoffed, shaking her head. "I said this before we left: real life doesn't work like your little storybooks. The minotaurs wouldn't set up traps in this temple to guard it against anyone because this is where they lived and practiced whatever religion it is they followed."

"And what if they had a super valuable treasure that needed to be guarded from folks like us, huh?"

"Then they'd put 'traps' and security measures into the vault where that stuff was located, not at random in a part of the temple where everyone moves through constantly."

"She has a point, Rainbow," Twilight said. "I know, I know, this is just like—"

"—Daring Do and the Eternal Labyrinth! I mean, c'mon, look at these minotaur statues, guys." Rainbow brazenly tapped her hoof on the one she was closest to, right on the nose. "These things should totally be waking up and attacking us right now."

Hourglass let out just the oddest sound Twilight had ever heard. "Did she seriously just touch it?!"

Everypony, even Twilight, braced for something to happen.

But nothing did.

"See? Lame!" Rainbow scoffed. "They're just regular old statues."

"That's what I've been tryin' to tell you!" Winter groaned. "This isn't like—"

"Hey. Listen," Rainbow said, swooping down next to Winter and putting her hoof around the smaller mare's shoulder. "I know, you think I'm just basing this all off some fantasy baloney. But trust me, I lived it. Daring Do is real. Her adventures are real. I was in one of her books because I was there."

"Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny," said Twilight with a smile and a nod. "I've read it three times."

"Only three?" Rainbow snorted, giving Twilight a bewildered look.

Twilight shrugged. "In my opinion it's actually one of the weaker books in the series. I found the sidekick kind of grating at the beginning. A little whiny, kinda useless, made Daring Do do all the work, and then just bragged about how cool they were."

Rainbow's jaw dropped. "I'm the sidekick. You know that, right?"

"You know she's just messin' with ya, right?" snickered Winter.

Rainbow paused, looked at Winter, then looked back at a smiling Twilight before grinning herself. "Oookay, Twi. You got me. You really had me going there for a bit. I thought maybe you'd forgotten that I autographed your first edition copy."

Twilight giggled. "I still have it in the case you gave me to keep it in. It's in my private library."

"This is all well and good," said Winter, unlatching herself from Rainbow, "but the point still stands: no traps to worry about unless we're given actual reason to suspect them. These statues aren't even magical."

"That's not entirely true," said Sunspire; he'd taken the goggles off of his eyes sometime during the conversation.

"Huh?"

"Each of these statues has a very faint magical signature inside of it, in the chest cavity. It's not any particular spell or anything like that, and the source is very faint, but there's definitely something in there."

"In the chest?" asked Twilight. "Ooh, maybe the sculptors embedded a magical gemstone into their chest to serve as a 'heart' or something?"

"It could be. I don't know anything about minotaur anatomy, but that sounds like a reasonable guess to me. The magic feels… weird. I think it's only a regular gemstone, but it resonates as if it were alive, like any one of you."

"Oh yeah, that doesn't sound creepy at all," Hourglass whimpered. "Why did I agree to come down here with you lot? This place is bloody awful."

Rainbow held up her hooves. "Okay, so these statues have magical gems inside their chests, gems that feel like they're alive, but they're not traps? Somepony make sense of this for me, 'cause I'm not getting it. Why is it on the inside? Wouldn't that be really hard to do?"

"Could just be part of their culture or religion, Rainbow," Twilight said, patting her friend on the back. "Like how in some Daring Do adventures, the statues have eyes made out of valuable jewels? Like… Daring Do and the Idol of Mysteries. The Idol itself had little rubies in its eyes, right? And they were magical, too!"

"Yeah, okay, I guess that works. This is just that on a bigger scale." Rainbow tapped her chin. "Do you think those gems might be a clue to what we're looking for?"

"I don't see why they would be," Winter said, looking up at one of the statues and shaking her head. "They seem pretty innocuous to me, weird bits notwithstanding."

"Same here," Twilight agreed. "I think they're just decorations, nothing more. I don't know what to make of the gemstones, but since we can't even see them we're making assumptions anyway. Probably not a good idea to go breaking anything."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Great, so we've spent all this time talking about the lame decorations. Lame. Lame. This is the least Daring Do-ingest adventure ever."

"Well, I'm sure glad that you guys don't think they're scary," said Hourglass with an audible gulp. "Can we just move on and out of this room now? Please?"

Nopony argued the point, instead making straight for the stairs at the end of the room and heading up into the darkness beyond, the lights behind them in the grand hall winking out as soon as they were gone.

The next room at the top of the stairs was yet another grand hallway, this one shorter but still plenty wide. The lanterns this time were just a little brighter, mainly because they seemed perfectly positioned to highlight assorted murals along the walls. The murals were all in perfect condition so far as Twilight could tell, and were carved directly into the walls with such skill and detail that the images depicted looked strikingly realistic and with surprising depth.

"Wow," Twilight breathed as she got closer to the first mural in the sequence, which was on the right wall; the opposite wall instead had assorted artisan works on display, such as vases and sculptures and old weapons. "This is some amazing craftsmanship. It looks almost lifelike."

The mural—Twilight hesitated to call it a diorama but the depth of the display nearly resembled one—depicted some sort of tremendous event in minotaur history. A collection of minotaur "figures" at the forefront of the mural looked off towards the backdrop in awe. The backdrop appeared to be fire; the way the flames of the lanterns danced to light the display was just perfect at making it seem so real.

She looked for some sort of plaque or something of that sort.

"What are you lookin' for, mate?" Winter asked from behind.

"Something to tell me what's happening in this artwork here. Surely this is some sort of representation of the minotaurs' history," Twilight said, not at all stopping her search and looking at every inch of the wall she could. "There might be some clues here as to what happened to Pandemonia in one of these."

"You think they recorded their city sinkin' into the sea? What, as it was happenin'?"

Twilight paused, then shook her head. "Unlikely, but nobody knows what the timeframe is between when Peach Blossom disappeared and when the city sank into the ocean. It could've been days, weeks, maybe months or years."

"Hmm. A sound theory. Even so, how much do ya think other aspects of their history would help in this case?"

"I don't know, but it won't hurt to try." Twilight shook her head. "But there's nothing here. No plaque, no signs, no inscriptions. How was anyone supposed to know what this display was supposed even be depicting?"

"Maybe magic would help?" suggested Sunspire.

"Hmm?"

Sunspire gestured at the mural. "Every inch of that mural there is coated with some sort of magic I've never seen before." He gestured at the next mural down the line, far enough away that Twilight couldn't make out any details. "Same with that one over there, and every one down the line."

He then gestured around himself in general. "That same magic is all over this section of the temple. It doesn't coat everything, though, but like… it connects everything. Like a… a circuit board, or power lines."

"And it's a type of magic you don't recognize?"

"Nope. It's definitely Darkness magic, though. That much I can tell at least."

Twilight lit up her horn and tried to get a reading on it herself, but she didn't come away with anything more than he did: just Darkness magic in abundance, but not any kind that she recognized personally. She'd studied many, many different kinds of magic, even the evil sorts of magic that villainous individuals like King Sombra made use of, but there was only so much empirical evidence she could find on those sorts of things.

It unnerved her though, that was for certain.

What unnerved her more though, what unnerved everypony in fact, was when a voice echoed through the hall, seemingly originating from the mural itself: "Hmm… it would seem as though I have some unexpected visitors."

Hourglass leapt back several feet and nearly backpedaled right into a vase on display; instead she hit the wall next to it. "What the bloody hell was that?!"

Twilight's horn alighted, ready to protect against whatever threat came her way. "Who are you?" she called out. "Show yourself!"

"Be at ease, stranger," the voice said; it had a rich, powerful, reverberating baritone that seemed to come from everywhere at once yet was very clearly originating from the mural. "You are not in danger here."

Winter snorted loudly; her horn was also lit, and she stood back-to-back with Rainbow. "Oh yeah, because that's not somethin' ya hear all the time right before danger decides to rear its ugly head, eh?"

"Yeah! Come on out, pal!" shouted Rainbow, rising up on her rear hooves and raising her forelegs up in a show of bravado. "You want us to take it easy, give us a good reason!"

"I cannot reveal myself to you at the moment, unfortunately," the voice said. "However, further down this hall I have means of presenting myself, if you so desire."

Rainbow scoffed. "Oh sure, and we're supposed to just walk on down the hall all 'la dee da' and trust you?"

"It is not my intention to inspire a lack of trust. Perhaps there are some other means that can put your minds at ease?"

"Tell us who you are, for starters," Twilight said firmly.

"I am Malygnes, High Priest of Athenos. Welcome to the Temple of the Beyond."

Twilight and the others shared looks with one another briefly. "You're a minotaur then?" Twilight asked the voice.

"I was."

"You were? The hell does that mean?" Winter asked.

"I think it is self-explanatory. I was, and now I am not."

"So what are you?" asked Rainbow. "A ghost? Are we talking to a frickin' minotaur ghost?" A pause. "That's so rad."

"A 'ghost'…?"

"A spirit. A phantom. Wraith, specter, poltergeist, whatever you want to call it," said Twilight; she stopped herself before she went into a Dawn-style tirade. "Are you a dead minotaur speaking to us now from beyond the grave? The name 'Temple of the Beyond' seems a little on-the-nose."

"Then no, I am not."

"Then what are you?"

"I am Malygnes."

"We're just goin' around in circles," Winter grunted. "What do you want then, Malygnes?"

"I do not 'want' for anything, stranger, for I remain dormant within these walls. I was awoken by your magic, and so it is I who must ask you what you desire."

"He's got you there, Winter," Rainbow said quietly with a little nudge.

Twilight relaxed her guard a little bit, but didn't not relax the magic in her horn by even the slightest iota. "We're here looking for information. Maybe you could help us?"

"Information. Yes, there is much information to be found in these halls, stranger. How I can help depends on the information you seek. I cannot help you find what I do not know."

"That's fair. Let's start off with something simple then: why is this section of the temple hidden?"

"This was my private sanctuary."

"And what was the purpose of that barrier? To keep the water out?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because the water would flood the sanctuary."

Twilight blinked. This Malygnes fellow was certainly straightforward with his answers; it was almost refreshing, if it weren't also so roundabout. "Okay. Um…" She gestured at the mural that she'd been so focused on before. "Explain this mural to me then. What event is being depicted here?"

To Twilight's surprise, the lanterns that were illuminating the display brightened to make it much easier to see, as if Malygnes had just turned up the intensity on the spell. The mural wasn't exactly clearer, so to say, but it was easier for everypony else to see from where they were.

"The Season of Fire," Malygnes said. "In ancient times, the northern lands were dominated by two opposing forces: the dragons, and the phoenixes. Their war was thought to be eternal. And then it ended." The lighting of the mural intensified. "The Mother of Calamity awoke and bathed the north in fire and ash. And when her work was done, she entered into a deep slumber within the red mountains to the west."

"Who or what is this 'Mother of Calamity'?" Twilight asked.

"I do not know. I know only the tales passed down over generations."

Twilight nodded, then briefly conferred with Winter. "You think maybe this 'Mother' was Nihila? She certainly would want to destroy everything in her path, and she's got a lot of association with the north."

Winter seemed to consider it, then gave a small nod. "Maybe. We can't make that jump yet though, and it doesn't help us with what we came here for. Let's try to stick to the plan; I know learnin' their history is fascinatin' and all, but—"

"Don't worry, Winter, I'll keep on track," Twilight said with a wink and a grin. She turned back to the mural, feeling a little odd to be talking to what was essentially a painting that was exactly talking back the way she'd have expected a painting to do. "This 'Mother of Calamity', you say she brought an end to this war between the phoenixes and the dragons. How?"

"The minotaurs of old were in awe of her power," Malygnes replied. "The legend says that she burned the entire continent in mere hours. Nothing survived."

"But she left the minotaurs alone?"

"The minotaurs were not involved. We were beneath her notice, far from her fury, and so she did not burn us."

Twilight frowned with thought. She figured that if this "Mother of Calamity" actually was Nihila, she would have destroyed everything, the minotaurs included. It would have potentially given a source for what had happened to Athenos to send it to the bottom of the sea. With that avenue seemingly exhausted—Malygnes didn't seem forthcoming with information unless asked directly—she decided to move on.

"I've heard that your people, the minotaurs, used to raid the shores of my people, the ponies of the south," she said, keeping her story simple and straightforward in order to maintain the lie. "Why did your people attack us?"

"Our people took what we needed from wherever we found it. If ponies had what we needed, then we took it."

"Why not start trade agreements with them? Why not bargain for what Athenos needed rather than take it from others?"

"It was easier to take it."

Twilight waited for more, but Malygnes didn't elaborate. "That's it? Your people just raided pony villages and ships, hurting and even killing innocents to get these things your people needed… because it was easier?"

"Yes."

Twilight sighed, then shook her head. She wasn't about to get into a philosophical debate with this… whatever Malygnes was now. "But at one point, your people agreed to have some sort of peace agreement? The minotaurs wanted to open up negotiations with the ponies?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"King Magnus believed that it would better our people to do so."

"Did a pony come here? To Athenos? To this temple?"

A pause. "Yes."

Twilight smiled; confirmation that Pandemonia's Warden had indeed arrived here in the city, even visited the temple. Now she just needed the most important part: "And what happened after that? What did King Magnus do with her?"

"I do not know."

"You… you don't know? But you're the High Priest! Surely you'd know what happened if a pony had been allowed into your city and then she came into your temple, wouldn't you?"

"No."

Twilight balked. "What do you mean 'no'?!"

Another pause. "You desire information that I do not have. King Magnus invited this pony here, not I."

"How in the hell did you not know what your king was doin' in your temple?" Winter scoffed.

"It is not my place to question the actions of those superior to me."

Winter stamped her hoof on the floor. "Shit! Useless-ass ghost. Now what?"

"You're sure there's nothing else that you can tell me?" Twilight pleaded, stepping towards the mural. "There's no other information that you can give me about this?"

"No."

"Gah, we're back to square one," Rainbow grumbled. "All we managed to do was confirm what we already know. Or, I guess what we already believed. This bites."

"You mean we came all the way into the spooky underwater temple for nothing?" Hourglass groaned.

Twilight held up her hooves. "Now hang on, everypony, it's not a total lost cause just yet. Maybe Malygnes doesn't know what happened to Warden Peach Blossom, but maybe he can tell us what happened to Athenos, why it sank into the sea. The events might still be connected." She turned back to Malygnes. "Right? You've gotta know what happened to your city."

"Yes."

"Wonderful! Then, tell us what happened."

A pause. "If that is the information you desire, then you should proceed further down the hall here." As Malygnes said the words, the lanterns along the hall lit up brighter along the right side. "It will be easier to understand."

Twilight looked to the others, biting her lip as she did so. "What do you guys think we should do? I'm not sure that I like this, but we need that information or we're basically stuck at square one, like Rainbow said."

"Are we even sure this dude can do anything to us?" Rainbow asked, scratching her head. "It feels like we're talking to a… a computer or something. Pinkie and I talked to some computer programs and stuff up north. I mean, we didn't do it quite like this, but if you typed a question into the computer it would give you an answer."

"Those are the really basic search engine programs," Winter said with a nod. "But I see your point. If I didn't know better I'd say that this Malygnes turned himself into a computer program to live forever or somethin'. Same concept."

"Well, whatever, I say we play along for now," Rainbow said, crossing her hooves over her chest. "Twi's a super-powerful alicorn, I've got superpowers, and Winter's not bad in a fight. I think we can handle ourselves if he tries to go all robot uprising on us. Or… ghost uprising. Ghost robot uprising?"

Hourglass scooted up alongside Twilight's legs, practically hugging them. "Y-yeah, good idea. If we're gonna go through with this, though, I'm staying right by Twilight." She grabbed Sunspire and pulled him over to her. "You too, Sunsy. Stay safe with me, yeah?"

Sunspire took a moment to respond—his attention was on the mural—but he eventually whispered, "Yeah. I'll stick with you, Hourglass, and we'll stick with Twilight."

Twilight glanced at Sunspire, then the mural, then back to Sunspire. "Is something wrong? You're staring at that mural like it means something."

Sunspire gulped and continued to whisper. "Do you remember how I said I could see the magic in the mural, and how it's connected to everything else around here?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, when that voice, that Malygnes guy, was talking to us through the mural… I could see his face. In the magic, I could see his face."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Really? You saw him? What did he look like?"

"I… I don't know. It was just… a formless mass of magic to me, but I could tell that it was his face. He didn't have eyes or anything, but I felt like he was looking right at me."

Rainbow blinked, scratching her chin. "He looked at you, but he didn't have eyes?"

"N-no, no eyes, but I… I could just tell that he could see me. I could feel it. I… I don't know how to describe it better than that."

Twilight glanced down the hall in the direction that the group was supposed to be moving, then let out a breath through her nose and nodded firmly. "Stay near me, Sunspire. You too, Hourglass. If anything happens, I'll keep you safe, and then I want you to run as fast as you can for the exit. Got it?"

Hourglass gulped and nodded. "Got it."

"Got it," said Sunspire, almost in unison.

The group moved down the hall as they'd been instructed. The lantern lights brightened as the group passed by them, then dimmed once they were a fair distance away; Twilight was beginning to suspect that they were no longer reacting to proximity, but that the presence of Malygnes was simply watching them. Knowing that someone was watching her but not knowing from where, or why, did not do any favors for Twilight's sense of security.

At the end of the hall, the group stepped into another room, this one lighting up just as Winter entered into it as the other rooms had done before. It was a large, circular room with no other exits that Twilight could see, with a high, domed ceiling that was barely visible in the lantern light.

The walls of the room were decorated with murals similar to the ones she and her friends had passed by earlier, or rather, one huge mural that encircled the entire room. At the center of the room was a raised dais, perfectly flat and smooth and carved not from black marble like the rest of the room, but from stone. Strange markings—runes—were carved into the stone, though Twilight didn't recognize any of them.

At the opposite end of the room, though, across from the hallway entrance, was some sort of altar. Twilight had seen religious altars before in her own world—ponies didn't use any, but some other creatures did—and this met all of the hallmarks: large, elaborate, centralized, and inspiring. She supposed that the feelings it inspired should have been awe and wonder, but instead it inspired dread and confusion.

The base of the altar was held up by more minotaur statues—several such statues also "held up" the ceiling—in poses evoking offerings or uplifting. What they were uplifting was a formless mass of… something. Twilight couldn't think of any other way to describe it: a formless mass of something.

"Ooookay…" Rainbow muttered. "We have officially reached the capital of Creepy Town, everypony."

"Oh, we're only now getting there?" Hourglass huffed.

"Looks like we've finally found out where these minotaurs worshipped… whatever it is that they worshipped," Winter said, glancing around but staying near Rainbow rather than moving ahead. "What exactly is it that they worshipped?"

"Malygnes said something about the Beyond," Twilight said, her eyes darting about looking for some sign of the High Priest. "I'm still convinced that that means some sort of afterlife." She cleared her throat. "Malygnes? We're here. You said you had more information for us?"

"Yes," echoed the High Priest's voice from everywhere in the room.

Twilight was able to narrow down the origin of the voice to a section of wall nearby. The mural here was much the same as it was elsewhere along the wall: countless minotaurs who appeared to be in various states of distress. Some of them were fleeing some unseen threat, others screaming in terror, and more writhing in agony. Disconcerting, to say the least.

But then the image shifted slightly, as part of the wall itself changed shape to accommodate something else. Twilight took half a step back in shock as the image of a minotaur seemed to just melt into existence, as though the walls were made of clay and an unseen sculptor had just added to his work, shaping the material with expert precision.

"There," said Malygnes, his voice now emanating mostly from the mouth of the figure on the wall, yet still from everywhere else in the room. "You requested that I 'show myself' earlier. I believe that this will suffice."

Twilight couldn't help herself from tensing up when he spoke. The wall's material, which should have been utterly solid, shifted and shaped itself to accommodate his words. The movements weren't liquid-smooth, either, but were strained just enough so that Malygnes didn't look like he was really there speaking to them. His dead eyes and neutral expression didn't help matters any.

"How are you doing that?" she asked, gesturing with her wing towards the muraled wall. "This isn't like any sort of magic that I've ever seen before, not from creatures that don't have magic like unicorns do. I know that runic magic can replicate many effects, but this is… there aren't any runes anywhere on your mural."

"Runic magic was only one of the types of magic that my people used. We also made use of magical gemstones and alchemy."

"Well obviously it isn't alchemy that's doing this. Are you saying you achieved this effect with magical gems? How?"

The "figure" of Malygnes "walked" along the wall, looking very much like a stilted animation rather than a living, breathing creature. The despaired minotaurs at the base of the mural served as a surface for him to walk on, and to Twilight's bewilderment, they even seemed to react to his steps.

"This mural has been inlaid with one thousand soulstones, marvelous gems with immense magical potential." His eyes shifted and two such gems—green and shimmering with purple energy—appeared for a brief moment, then vanished back into the mural. "Our people made use of soulstones in all of our work. Art. Weaponry. Tools. Ships. Everything."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I can't say that I've ever heard of a soulstone." This was true; if her world contained any such magical gem, she'd never read about them or encountered one before.

"You would not have, for they do not naturally occur on your southern continent."

"And you used these soulstones to create this mural?" Twilight gestured back towards the previous hallways. "To create all of those other murals? Are they in the statues as well?"

"Yes. Our people made use of soulstones in all of our work, as I said."

Rainbow let out a nervous laugh. "Yup. That's not creepy at all, a bunch of magic gems called 'soulstones' in the hearts of some statues."

"Why do you call them 'soulstones'?" asked Twilight.

"Because they contain souls within them, and because they resemble simple gemstones. When applied properly, the souls within them can still be of use."

Twilight balked. "Wait. What?"

Malygnes's form gestured out with a hand—it only extended about a foot from the wall—towards the mural that surrounded the room. "This work of art contains within it one thousand soulstones. One thousand souls. Mine was the last to enter, and as the master of the spell it allows me to communicate with you, as we are now."

Twilight gulped and turned to the others, silently indicating to them that she wished to talk in private. Once they'd all gathered up, she whispered, "Okay, so… I'm pretty sure at this point that we're dealing with someone that's either straight-up evil, or severely misguided. Not just him, but all the minotaurs."

"No shit," Winter said bluntly. "How could ya tell? Was it the fact that he said a thousand souls were used to make the mural here, eh?"

"More than that, but yes. Soulstones by themselves sound like they're simply a magical tool, and even if someone were to contain a soul within one, I don't think that would necessarily be wrong. I suppose it depends on the views your world has on life after death from a religious and moral standpoint—"

"Get to the point, Twi," Rainbow huffed.

"Right, sorry. Using the soulstones to power their spells like this is far different though. It's one of the worst kinds of Dark magic that there is: Pneumancy. Soul magic." Twilight shook her head. "It's what we'd call one of the 'Big Three' types of utterly evil magic. The other two are Enthrallment, better known as mind control, and Necromancy, which is the raising and manipulation of the dead."

Winter nodded in understanding. "The three types of magic that take away a creature's free will."

"Exactly. Not all forms of Dark magic are evil, but these three are universally so. Even using one of these types of magic for some benevolent means is considered morally wrong on several different levels. I've attended over twenty different ethical and philosophical discourses on the topic."

"Is that why you gave the Crusaders that big talking to after that Hearts and Hooves Day incident?" Rainbow asked. "Y'know, with Cheerilee and Big Mac and the love potion? 'Cause that was creepy. Funny, but creepy when you stepped back and looked at it."

"Yes, that's exactly why I did it. I don't know who's bright idea it was to list that love poison's ingredients in a book that's so easily-accessible, and I blame myself for letting them have access to it in the first place. But yeah, that was a Bad Idea. It's why I've pushed so hard to get Starlight to change her ways."

"Yeah… since you mention it, I guess Starlight has done some pretty evil stuff. I, uh… I guess I sometimes forget she mind-controlled me into doing chores. She apologized, sure, but… well, kudos to you for turning her around, Twi."

"Thank you, Rainbow. For giving her another chance."

Rainbow nodded firmly, then turned her attention to the mural. "Okay, so, we just gotta keep an eye out on this bozo, more than we already were I guess."

"It is peculiar that you come to me for information, yet consistently make attempts to avoid speaking with me," Malygnes said, though his voice contained no mirth whatsoever, still the same disconcerting reverberating baritone as always.

Twilight and the others rose up immediately; she was concerned that he'd been able to hear what they'd been talking about. "Oh! Sorry. Just… having a little private conversation. So that we could… figure out what questions we wanted to ask next! Ahaha…"

"You asked earlier about the Fall of Athenos. Is that still the information you desire?"

"Oh, yes, certainly."

The form of Malynes continued walking further along the wall, and Twilight and the others followed along so that they could keep him in their sights. "The Fall was sudden. All of Athenos, and the island upon which it was built, sank into the sea. One hundred acolytes and myself were here, in this sanctuary, when it happened.

"Through our combined magic, we were able to prevent our temple from flooding. The same I cannot say for the rest of the city. As far as I know, we were the only survivors. As my acolytes starved to death, one by one I implanted their souls into this mural, to join with the congregation within. Mine was the last to join them."

"Hold on now, ya say that you and your acolytes protected the temple," Winter interjected. "This private sanctuary of yours is safe and dry, sure, but the temple outside is flooded just like the rest of the city."

"Yeah, what gives?" added Rainbow.

"The temple outside, the Temple of the Night, was not spared from its fate because the acolytes still there were not strong enough to protect it."

Twilight tilted her head. "I thought this was the Temple of the Beyond?"

"This is. The temple outside was the Temple of the Night. The majority of Athenos revered the night's darkness. This temple had a different purpose."

Twilight and Winter shared a brief look. "So… your people worshipped Pandemonia? The Alicorn of the Moons?"

"No. They worshipped the night itself, the darkness that came with it. The moons are no more dark than the lanterns in this room. Pandemonia was not worthy of the minotaurs' reverence."

"So you know who Pandemonia is?"

"Yes. The ponies of the south worshipped her. Their religion held no water here."

Twilight considered this, brimming with joy and excitement; more confirmation of Pandemonia's story! Sure, he only seemed to know Pandemonia as just a goddess that the ponies revered, the same as his people revered the night, and whatever this "Beyond" was, which she was more convinced than ever simply referred to an afterlife of some sort.

And since he seemed to have no knowledge of what his king, Magnus, had planned for her Warden—if he even knew what a Warden was—it was unlikely that he knew what had happened. She needed more details.

"Tell me more about the Fall," she asked. "When did it happen? You said that you knew about a pony coming here to your city, a guest of King Magnus. How soon after that did the Fall occur?"

"That very night."

Twilight's eyes widened: another connection! "Really? Can you tell me what happened? Did this pony have something to do with the Fall?"

"Yes."

Even Winter seemed excited now, moving forward to engage in the conversation like he was really there. "Well? Go on, tell us what happened. Don't keep us in suspense here."

"It is a long story."

"That's fine, we've got time."

The image of Malygnes gave a short nod, then turned to start walking along the muraled wall again. "In the decades before the Fall, when I was still young and had only just become an acolyte, I would often meditate on the nature of the night, of the darkness it brought. Over time, I realized that I had… philosophical disagreements with the scriptures.

"The night is not true darkness, you see. Darkness is the absence of light. They are opposing forces, polar opposites. And yet in the night's sky, the moons and the stars shine bright, tainting the darkness, staining it. No, how could the night be true darkness when it was so polluted?

"In my meditations, I sought answers for what was true Darkness, the complete absence of Light." The image of Malygnes seemed contemplative, almost mystified. "That is when I learned of the Dark Beyond the Dark. True Darkness, one that was untainted by Light, that was pure."

"How did you learn about this… 'Dark Beyond the Dark'?" Twilight asked, curious and just a little frightened; just the name alone sounded terrifying. "Just through your meditations? This was a philosophical realization?"

The form of Malygnes turned to face her, his face contorting in an odd grin. "A presence resided there, in the Dark Beyond the Dark. Through my meditations, it noticed my search for answers, and it provided me with everything that I sought. It taught me about the Dark Beyond the Dark, taught me how to control it."

"It taught you magic?"

"More than just magic. It taught me power. In return, the presence only asked me for one thing: a vessel. A vessel with which it could enter my world and bring the gift of true Darkness to all who dwelled here." Malygnes's image shook its head, despondent. "I was not fit to become the vessel myself, even after I became High Priest. So I looked elsewhere. I looked to the south."

Twilight and Winter shared a look; Twilight was beginning to understand where this conversation was going, and she didn't like it one bit.

"I went to King Magnus and told him of my visions, though I hid from him the existence of the presence, for it did not want itself revealed. Magnus believed that my visions were a prophecy, a vision of greatness for our people. I allowed him to believe that until his final days.

"Our ships raided the ponies' coasts and tested their naval prowess. The ponies were weak, and we took whatever we needed from them: food, goods, slaves. King Magnus was ready to invade, but then we received a plea for peace from the ponies. I convinced King Magnus to accept the offer; he doubted my strategy, but he did not doubt my vision.

"He invited a representative to come to Athenos to negotiate; it was to be a 'Warden', a religious and political leader of the ponies. I told him that he must specifically request the presence of the Warden of Pandemonia, for it was Pandemonia's Light-tainted night that was preventing our people from rising to greatness."

Twilight balked. "Wait a minute, you said that you didn't invite a pony here to Athenos. You said you didn't know what King Magnus did to her in the temple. You lied to us!"

"I never lied. I said that I did not invite the pony here; King Magnus did. I also do not know what they discussed in the Temple of the Night when she arrived. It was irrelevant to my plans."

"What happened to Pandemonia's Warden?" Winter demanded. "What did you do to her? You, specifically."

"In the dead of the night, my acolytes brought her here, to the Temple of the Beyond. She did not resist; the power I wielded, the power given to me by the presence, was too great for her. We brought her here to this very room." The image of Malygnes gestured at the dais. "We brought her here before the altar.

"The ritual was complex. Difficult. Several acolytes gave their life blood to fuel it. But it worked. The presence used the ritual to enter our world, using the Warden as a conduit. And the Warden would serve a second purpose: a conduit to Pandemonia herself." Malygnes tilted his head. "The Warden naturally did not survive."

Winter's eyes narrowed. "Does this 'presence' have a name?"

"Yes. Before the Warden died, the presence used her to thank me for my service. She revealed to me her true name: Nihila. Then, as a gift to her, I offered up the souls of every minotaur in Athenos. She used her power to drown our great city beneath the waves of the sea."

Twilight's eyes widened. "You… you're the one responsible for helping Nihila take over Pandemonia. No wonder she doesn't remember anything: she wasn't in control of herself at all! And by doing what you did, you killed every single minotaur in Athenos. Maybe not by your own hand, but by helping Nihila!"

Malygnes's expression was mostly unchanging, though if anything he seemed curious. "Yes. Nihila wanted her vessel, and I delivered it to her. My only regret is that I will not get to see her bathe this world in Darkness as she promised she would."

Winter grunted. "For the record then, pal, Nihila tried it twice already and failed both times."

Malygnes paused for a moment, then nodded. "Then she will succeed on her third attempt. Or her fourth. Or perhaps her fifth. It doesn't not matter; she will succeed eventually."

"Ha! Fat chance, bub," Rainbow taunted, flying right up to the mural. "She can try all she likes, but she's not gonna win."

"You intend to stop her, of course. It is only natural that creatures who do not understand the Darkness would seek to prevent its coming. You must be truly desperate to seek out our fallen city, to walk into a den of 'evil' as you call it, all for measly scraps of information."

"Information which you provided us," Twilight pointed out. "If you're so certain that we're going to lose, why help us?"

"Because you cannot stop her. Nihila is Darkness incarnate, and she will not be denied her victory." His image then shifted back into the mural, and he was now just a voice again. "I will not let you."

Twilight's ears perked up, and she noticed a huge slab of marble slide down and seal the room; all of the lights shut off at the same time, leaving her and Winter as the only light sources.

Then, she heard movement from all around them. To her surprise and horror—she knew what the gemstones were now—the minotaur statues that stood around the room all started moving, stepping away from their positions and moving towards the ponies. And, because of where they were positioned, they had the group of ponies surrounded. And they did not look friendly.

She leaned down to speak to a nervous Hourglass and Sunspire. "Get ready to run. Once we clear a path, you two make a break for it, got it?"

They nodded back without a word.

"Good." Twilight then lit up her horn and stepped over the two in a defensive position. "Get ready, everypony. Looks like we're in a Daring Do adventure after all."

"About time!" Dash chuckled, rolling her shoulders and getting ready to fly. "You get the kids to safety, Twi. I'll take care of these chuckleheads."

Winter snorted and ignited her own horn. "Don't hog all the glory there, Dash. We'll take these things together. You get the ones on the left, I'll get the ones on the right."

Rainbow glanced behind her—she and Winter were back to back—then asked, "Whose right? My right? Your right?"

"Just start blastin' 'em!"

Twilight had been involved in many battles before alongside her friends and sometimes her family, but this was the first time she'd ever done so since her growth spurt and the subsequent power increase. She didn't realize her own strength at all in combat terms yet, at least not outside of her barrier magic.

So she was a little surprised when she blasted the minotaur statue closest to her in the face and watched the entire thing's head just disintegrate into so many particles of dust.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to stop the statue from moving, because it leveled a punch right at her, and she had to raise a shield spell to protect herself and her young wards. The punch wasn't particularly strong against the shield, but it was constant, and the other statues joining in already started to put on a lot of pressure

Behind her, meanwhile, Winter was using her magic to blast away not at the statues' heads, but at their legs. She wasn't as powerful as Twilight was, so the blasts didn't shatter the marble, but it did at least keep them off-balance enough to buy her some space to breathe and pull away from the main group; it seemed best if they weren't all crowded together.

Rainbow, meanwhile, took to the air and swooped around the ceiling. Twilight hadn't seen her using these new "superpowers" of hers just yet, so she was pleasantly surprised when Rainbow kicked her rear hooves together and generated a trail of lightning behind her, replete with the sound of thunder echoing throughout the chamber.

When Rainbow kicked one of the minotaurs in the back of the head… nothing really happened. Rainbow seemed surprised, particularly when her target turned and took a swing at her. "Aww, come on! What gives?!"

"Marble doesn't conduct electricity, Rainbow!" Twilight shouted, more focused on keeping her shield up while several marble minotaurs pounded away.

"Oh. Well dang."

"If you could get some water in here, that'd be good!" Winter called up to the pegasus.

"Yeah, sure, I can do that!"

Rainbow took to the air again, and this time she did a sort of tight looping roll at the highest part of the dome. Twilight wasn't sure how it worked, but she could see that Rainbow was forming a dark cloud in the center of her lopping formation. After only a few seconds, the cloud was fully formed and almost immediately started pouring rain.

Winter then used her magic to splash the water against the legs of the minotaurs before freezing it solid. There was barely enough water to make enough ice that Winter could do this at all, so she could only make due with one statue at a time and keep it locked in place. But it was enough that when she blasted the legs with a burst of kinetic magic, it shattered the ice and cracked the marble underneath.

Though it took a few attempts, Winter was eventually able to completely break through one of the statue's legs and render it… well, not helpless—it still tried to hop around and then dragged itself along after it fell over—but effectively disabled.

"If you desire water, you should have just asked," came the echoing voice of Malygnes.

Twilight's ears perked up again when there was a resounding crack from the ceiling. She and all of her pony comrades looked up—the minotaurs did not relent or get distracted—to see that the ceiling was crumbling. And that there was water pouring through the cracks.

"Uh oh…" Rainbow muttered.

It only took a few seconds for the ceiling to crack apart enough that water was able to pour into the room at a rate that Twilight was worried that the whole chamber would be flooded.

"We need to get out of here!" she called out to Winter and Rainbow. "I'm going to blast the door open! Winter, keep me covered! I can't use a barrier and a blasting spell at the same time!"

Winter was right at Twilight's side almost instantly and raised a barrier spell to underlay beneath Twilight's; Twilight could feel their magic intertwining slightly, a pleasant sensation, but not one to focus on right now. She was more focused actually on the fact that the water level was already rising; she was already hoof-deep.

"I've got you. Do your thing, Twilight," the smaller unicorn said with firm confidence.

With Winter's barrier up, Twilight was able to drop hers—she heard Winter grunt as the minotaurs started pounding away at her shield instead—and light up her horn for a blasting spell.

It took a few shots to weaken the integrity of the door, and then she called out to Rainbow: "Dash! Kick the door out!"

Rainbow swooped down and kicked the door as hard as she could, knocking out a huge chunk of marble where Twilight had been working her magic earlier. The hole was large enough that even Twilight would be able to fit through.

Twilight then flared her horn up and blasted all of the minotaur statues around herself and the others back and away. "Move!" she shouted. "Through the door!"

Nopony needed to be told twice, all of them running and clamoring through the hole that Twilight and Rainbow had made. Twilight was the last one through, and as soon as she was, she lit up her horn again and put a barrier around the hole to keep the statues from climbing through after them, just in time before one of them managed to reach through and grab her tail.

The group took only a few seconds to breathe and think, but Twilight was already ready with the next step: "Everypony get your breathing gear on," she said, watching the room beyond her shield filling up with water; the statues were undeterred, though in the water they were more sluggish. "We need to get out of here and back to the Comet Chaser."

"What about you?" Winter asked, though she was already putting her gear on after helping Hourglass and Sunspire with theirs. "You're gonna have to drop that barrier to get your gear on. It won't work through the material."

"Don't worry about me," Twilight replied. "I can keep this barrier up from a distance and then put my gear on once everypony's safe and ready to move. I'll have time to get it on and make a run—"

There was another crack, and Twilight looked up at the ceiling of the hallway as she felt a few small chunks of marble and drops of water fall on her head.

"Oh dear. Go. Go go go!"

"What about your—" Winter started.

"Just go!"

The group started running again down the hall as the ceiling started cracking all around them. Everypony else had activated their flashlights so that they could see, luckily, since the hallway wasn't lit by lanterns anymore and neither was the main hall beyond it.

Twilight wasn't surprised at all that the larger minotaur statues in the main hall were already moving and waiting for them. Luckily, she'd been expecting it and, as the only pony who could still do anything here—Winter's horn was covered and thus her combat magic was unusable, and Rainbow's weather powers weren't particularly helpful under the circumstances—she knew it was left to her to protect the group.

Also luckily, she'd seen how Winter had disabled the statues earlier—without their legs, they weren't as dangerous—and she had the power to do the same with regular blasting spells. Just as she'd disintegrated the statue's head earlier, she did the same for the legs of the statues currently blocking the way, then used telekinetic magic to knock them aside. Fairly simple.

She had to drop her barrier magic to do so, though, and already she could hear rushing water behind them as it flowed out of the ritual chamber. They needed to hurry.

The group descended down the stairs and into the hallway that led out of this temple and into the main building. Once here, Twilight took a moment to breathe; the minotaurs couldn't get them down here, as they were much too big to fit through the passage. Not that they weren't trying, of course; Twilight could see one of their big, marbley arms reaching down to try and grab them, well out of reach.

"Whew," Twilight breathed as she started putting her own breathing gear on. "Okay, now—"

"This temple has been my tomb for many years," came the voice of Malygnes from up ahead. "Now it will be yours."

Twilight's eyes widened, her ears perking up, as the sight and sound of rushing water from up ahead echoed throughout the hall.

Winter practically leapt up onto Twilight to help her get her breathing gear on. "C'mon! Stop gawkin'!"

It only took seconds for the two working together to get the breathing gear situated, just before the entire ocean came crashing down through the hall. The sheer strength of the rushing sweater swept everypony in the group right off their hooves and sent them spinning back down the hall towards the outstretched hand of a minotaur.

Rainbow was quickest to recover her balance, and she grabbed Hourglass and Sunspire to steady them and keep them from being swept any further. Twilight only barely recovered in time to grab Winter, stopping her mere inches away from the clutches of the minotaur statue as it reached out to grab her.

Twilight instinctively pulled her friend close to ensure that she was safe. "You alright, Winter?" she asked, her voice distorted by the breathing gear again.

Winter let out a breath. "Yeah. Thanks." She paused, seemed to notice that her face was pressed right up against Twilight's chest, then pushed herself out of Twilight's grip. "C'mon, let's get out of here. We're out of the temple now, so that fucker can't get at us anymore."

Twilight nodded, and she and the others just wordlessly made their way back out of the hallway and into the ruined main temple before making for the main entrance and swimming out into the open waters of the ocean once more.

The Comet Chaser was exactly where the group had left it, it's boarding ramp open and a member of the crew waiting just outside in her own set of diving gear. From this distance it looked like it might've been Starlight Spark, especially since she only seemed to give a tepid little wave.

Before the expedition crew could even swim very far, though, there was a great creaking sound that reverberated throughout the water, enough to unsteady them when the change in water displacement followed.

"What was that?" Rainbow asked. "Now what?"

Hourglass tapped Twilight's side and pointed up and off into the distance a ways. "Um…"

Twilight looked off to where Hourglass was pointing, and her eyes widened. "Really? Really?"

The massive minotaur statue that stood in the center of the harbor was moving. Slowly, because of the literal tons of water surrounding it, but it was moving nonetheless, turning away from the open sea and towards the city. Or more specifically, towards Twilight and company.

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me…" Winter grumbled.

"Go!" Twilight shouted, pushing Hourglass and Sunspire forward. She turned to Rainbow. "Get them to the ship!"

Rainbow didn't even hesitate, she just moved in and grabbed the two before swimming forward like a fish; between her quickly-kicking hindlegs and her wings, Rainbow could swim faster than any of them, nearly as agile underwater as she was in the air.

Ensign Spark managed to usher the three of them in just as the huge statue swung its huge hand down into the ocean floor not too far away. The sheer strength of the blow sent a shockwave through the water that knocked Twilight and Winter tumbling backwards towards the cliff—Twilight barely managed to grab Winter so that they weren't separated—but it didn't even knock the Comet Chaser off-balance whatsoever.

The Comet Chaser pushed forward at a… respectable pace. Twilight didn't know what to do next—she and Winter were too far away to make it to the boarding ramp—but she knew that there was a threat before them and that she needed to do something. But with her magic effectively unusable inside this diving suit—the worst mixed blessing she'd ever encountered—she didn't even know what she could do.

Once she regained her sense of direction, she tried to find where the Comet Chaser had gone, but it was too dark to see without the ship's spotlight—the little flashlights in the diving suits weren't quite strong enough. She could see the giant minotaur statue, however, as the glimmer of her and Winter's flashlights reflected off of its metallic surface.

And it was coming right at them.

And it was raising its clenched fist to strike at them again, and this time it was a lot closer.

Twilight braced herself for impact, not sure if the shields in these little suits could take that kind of impact.

Luckily, she didn't find out. The Comet Chaser had swung in just in time and took the brunt of the impact. The statue's fist collided with the ship's shield and slid right off of it, impacting several dozen yards to the left of where it had been aiming and impacting the cliff instead. The shockwave was still severe, but Twilight and Winter were mostly shielded by the outcroppings nearby; she could hear sand and debris impacting all around her, and their suits' shields were protecting them quite admirably otherwise.

Twilight saw the boarding ramp deploy, with Ensign Spark there waiting and waving frantically at them.

Twilight moved as quickly as she could, using her wings and legs to swim faster than she'd ever swam in her life. She could feel Winter clutching onto her for dear life, and Twilight was glad that her friend was trusting enough to rely on her to do this.

As soon as they were safely on the ramp, Spark closed it and shouted "Got 'em!" into the intercom. Twilight felt the ship lurch slightly as it headed off at full speed.

For about three seconds.

The ship jostled heavily, as if it had been struck by something hard. Twilight couldn't see it yet but it was obvious what it was. She and Winter entered the ship after the boarding room finished draining water out—the process was quick but they had to wait until the entire process was done—and immediately made their way up to the cockpit. Twilight only stopped briefly to see that the minotaur's hand was gripped around the ship's shields, which were glowing a brilliant gold to try and repel it.

"You guys sure attracted all the wrong kinds of attention!" shouted Captain Ember. "Copper, is the laser charged yet?"

"I've got it at fifty percent now, Cap," Copper said from her seat at the drill's operating panel.

"That's good enough, let's get this thing off our ship. Fire!"

Twilight watched through the viewscreen, which had been toggled to give a rear view of the ship, as the mining laser sliced through the fingers of the statue. It wasn't a clean cut, but it was enough to loosen its grip slightly, and the Comet Chaser started to drift away.

Until the minotaur's other hand swung around to tighten the grip.

"This fucker isn't giving up!" Winter snapped. She turned to Twilight. "There's gotta be something we can do!"

Twilight just stared at the giant statue for half a moment, then was struck by an idea. "Get Sunspire up here."

"What? Sunspire? But—"

"Please, Winter, hurry!"

Winter ran off to fetch the young colt.

While that was happening, Twilight watched as the brilliant golden glow of the shields outside struggled against the tightening grip of the minotaur.

"Uh, Cap, shields are at twenty percent and falling!" announced Copper, shaking but otherwise professional. "Secondary shields haven't finished charging yet, not enough for this!"

Ember grunted and tried to use her wings to wriggle the fins out of the statue's grip. "How's the laser drill coming? What's the charge?"

"Thirty percent. It'll cut through the metal but I don't have a good firing angle," Copper said, pointing at the drill's camera; it was pointed at the statue's chest.

Winter returned with Sunspire. "Alright, Twilight, what's your big idea?"

Twilight was about to speak when the entire ship jostled again, even the cockpit; the shields had just gone down, and now the minotaur's hands were directly in contact with the ship's hull. The cockpit, which had already been glowing red and blaring a warning klaxon, was now going crazy with alarms.

"Warning. Hull breach imminent," droned a masculine computer voice. "Warning. Hull breach imminent. Warning. Hull—"

"Over here, Sunspire!" Twilight called, waving the young colt over to the drill station. "Take off your goggles and tell Engineer Copper where you see that thing's soulstone."

Sunspire paused to stare wide-eyed at Twilight for half a second, then nodded in understanding and situated himself right next to Copper at the firing station.

"Whoa, what's the little dude doing here?" Copper asked.

"The statue has a gem in its chest that's controlling it," Twilight explained quickly. "Sunspire can see it. Hit it with the laser."

Copper blinked, then nodded. "Righteous." She turned her full attention to the drill's operating joystick. "Point it out to me, little dude."

"A little to the left," Sunspire said, his gaze shifting constantly between the drill's camera and the main viewscreen. "A little more…"

The ship jostled again, so harshly that everypony except Captain Ember nearly fell over.

"Warning. Hull breach detected in rear cargo bay."

"A little higher…" Sunspire said, licking his lips. "Higher…"

Another jostle, this one so rough that Twilight had to brace herself against the wall to keep from falling over, and used her wings to keep Copper and Sunspire from tumbling away from their station. Twilight saw Winter completely lose her balance and roll right out of the cockpit and into the short hall outside.

"Warning. Rear starboard engine has suffered catastrophic failure."

"There!" Sunspire shouted, his hoof shooting into the air.

Copper fired the mining laser directly into the chest of the minotaur statue. It melted straight through the oxidized metal in a burst of steam, cutting all the way through the accursed thing and straight out the other end.

In an instant, the statue's grip relaxed just enough that the Comet Chaser was able to squeeze its way out; the statue then toppled over, completely stiff as… well, a statue.

"Activate secondary shielding!" Captain Ember shouted.

Copper had already been in the process of doing so, and after pressing a few buttons, the shimmering gold of the backup shield popped into view.

"Shields up and holding, Cap," Copper breathed, slumping back into her seat. "I also sealed the rear cargo bay and deactivated the rear starboard engine."

"Are we good, Copper?" Ember asked, calm and resolute.

"We're stabilized for now, but we're just barely afloat here. Engine strength without a full allotment…" She bit her tongue as if doing a calculation in her head. "Naw, it won't be enough to get us back to Hope's Point before supplies run out. We need repairs."

Ember sighed and shook her head. "Damn."

"Repairs?" Twilight asked. "How are we supposed to get repairs down here?

"We'll have to search for an air pocket large enough to park the Comet Chaser in so that we can divert all engine power to the shields. With more power, the shields can be tweaked to extend outwards enough that Copper can work on the damage from outside."

"An air pocket… I don't think we saw any on the way here, did we?"

"No. No we did not."

Copper sighed, having only had about a minute to relax, before hopping up and straightening out her coveralls. "I'll see what damage I can get repaired from inside for now, Cap. I'll keep you posted."

"Thank you, Copper."

As she left, Copper tousled Sunspire's mane; the colt was already putting his goggles back on. "Awesome job, little dude."

Sunspire smiled. "Happy to help."

Once Copper left, Twilight let out a sigh of her own and gestured for Sunspire to follow her. "Come on, Sunspire. Let's let the others know what's happening, and we'll see if we can help Copper out in any way."

"Sure thing, Princess Twilight."

Ember cleared her throat to get Twilight's attention. "Princess, please tell me that you got something useful out of all this? I'd like to know that my ship didn't just take a beating for nothing."

Twilight gave her a small nod. "We did, Captain."

"Good." Ember tilted her head towards the passenger cabin. "Go relax with your friends. You've earned it."

"You be sure to take a break yourself, Captain."

Ember nodded, then turned her attention back to piloting the ship.

*****

The next several hours were just a little tense, as most of the expedition team was growing restless to say the least. Rainbow was practically pacing a hole into the floor of the ship, or at least she would be if the floor wasn't made of metal. Hourglass and Sunspire were playing some sort of heated card game together to pass the time; Ensign Spark had joined them, and looked to have grown attached to the two younger ponies.

Twilight and Winter, meanwhile, were seated next to the portside window looking out into the darkness of the ocean. Ember and Copper didn't need anypony's help in searching for a cavern or cave that could potentially have an air pocket, though it wasn't like they were having any sort of luck.

"Welp," Winter grunted while she sipped from a cup of coffee—Spark had made one each for her and Twilight. "I gotta tell ya, I never expected this to be my last hurrah."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? You don't really think we're gonna die out here, do you?"

"Ehh… maybe, maybe not. But that's not what I meant. I meant more… me, my job. I never imagined that my last assignment was gonna be anything like this." Winter shook her head and set down her coffee. "The world hangin' on by a thread. The weight of it all on my shoulders. Knowin' that if I fuck up, everypony's gonna die."

"You've always made it sound like that's how your entire day-to-day job is like."

"Yeah. That's the point. Today's just like any other day, just worse. That's not how I was expectin' my last job to go."

Twilight took a sip of her coffee. "What were you expecting it to be like, if you don't mind my asking?"

Winter smirked. "I was hopin' my last day on the job would just be me sittin' on a couch at home gettin' piss drunk and fallin' asleep in front of the telly. Then Hourglass would come home and we'd celebrate her accreditation… with me gettin' more drunk, of course. Then I'd fall back asleep, and wake up in Chronomancer HQ and get ready to go off to work for the rest of my life teachin' others how to be good at what they do."

"I don't know what sounds more miserable: that last day on the job, or your outlook on the future," Twilight muttered.

"Yeah, well, life's not always sunshine and gumdrops, Twilight. Sometimes life is hard, and you don't get everything handed to you on a silver platter just because you know somepony important."

Twilight frowned. "Is that what you think of me? You think that I didn't work hard to get where I am?"

A long pause. "No… no, Twilight, I don't think that about you at all. I know that ya worked hard to get where you are, and I know that ya earned everything you've got." Winter sighed and put her head in her hooves. "Sorry. I'm just venting at you. You don't deserve that."

"It's alright. I understand. You're stressed. I'm stressed too, and I know what it's like to feel like the entire world is on your shoulders, believe me." Twilight paused, then slumped back in her seat slightly. "I haven't had the chance to tell you the story about Starlight Glimmer yet, have I?"

"I've only heard snippets about her," Winter said, taking another sip of coffee. "Basic gist I've gotten is she was runnin' some kind of… cult? And you and your friends chased her off, but then she tried to get revenge and you made friends with her after that or somethin'. I mean, I don't know how that works, but hey, this is me we're talkin' about."

"Right. The revenge bit is… actually what I wanted to discuss. You see, Starlight got it in her head that if she could make it so that my friends and I never met, we wouldn't become who we are now, then we wouldn't have been able to stop her plans from before. So… she figured out a spell that would let her go back in time to try and rewrite history."

Winter nodded. "Right, right. Pretty standard-issue megalomaniac behavior."

Twilight was given pause; that was not the reaction she'd expected. "I… you're not surprised? I thought for sure you'd be all sorts of upset that somepony I know tried to use Chronomancy magic to take revenge on me and my friends."

Winter set down her cup of coffee. "Answer me this, Twilight: did Summer Rains come to see you after this event? I know she was still your world's Chonomancer at the time since she only retired last year."

Twilight blinked, tilting her head in thought. "No, now that you mention it. I haven't seen her since we came home from our first trip."

"That's because she took care of any problems that would come from that sort of spell. And before you ask…" Winter paused, scrunching up her nose in thought. "Okay, listen. I'm not gonna invalidate what you likely went through tryin' to 'fix' the problem yourself. You put in the effort and your heart was in the right place. But, ah… that's not how time travel works."

"Huh?"

"Everypony has their own concepts on how time works—fuckin' everypony—and that's just not it. You can't 'rewrite history' like that. Time is like a clock. That's why we use them to measure time, eh? It moves forward at a steady rate. You can't travel back in time like it works in the movies. You can rewind it like a clock, or turn it forward, but you can't travel directly from, say, six o'clock in the mornin' back to midnight. If you do, the entire timestream rewinds with you."

"But… but I saw alternate timelines and everything," Twilight muttered, lost.

"Exactly. Alternate timelines. They're like… miniature worlds, like the difference between my world and yours, but… not. But they're not your timeline, because your timeline can't be changed; even if you could rewind time so that you could attempt to change the past, you can't because your memories rewind too."

"So… if I went back in time, I wouldn't know that I'd gone back in time, and I'd make the same decisions?"

"Exactly."

"But… but I've done that before. I did it before we ever met. I went back in time to warn myself about something, but my past self didn't listen and then got in trouble trying to figure out the warning, so she went back in time to warn her past self—"

"Alternate timeline, alternate timeline, aaaand alternate timeline. Summer would've had to twist a knob somewhere so that you didn't create an infinite time loop by accident, that's all."

"Buh… wuh…" Twilight shook her head. "It's really that simple? You're really serious that time works like that?"

"Yup. You cannot change the past. Period. The amount of magic needed to retain your memories of events is astronomical, far more than any god, any alicorn, or any talented mage could possibly muster. It's been proven. It's impossible."

"Can Chronomancers do it?"

Winter paused slightly, then leaned back and smirked. "I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not we can. And if we did have that kind of power and you found out about it, well, I'd have to use it so that this conversation never happened, wouldn't I? But it is happening. Or maybe it isn't? Hmm?"

Twilight returned the smirk. "Fair enough. So, if that's the case… what did I accomplish with Starlight? If she can't change the past, then what actually happened? You mean I didn't really save the world countless times from alternate bad futures?"

"You prevented those alternate timelines from being created in the first place, which is the same in spirit if not the same in letter." Winter shook her head. "Like I said, I don't want to diminish what you did. You saved a lot of 'worlds', a lot of heartache, surely. But those 'worlds' aren't yours. Technically they don't actually exist, by Chronomancer definitions.

"What you did do, though, is convince this Starlight Glimmer that what she was attemptin' to do—even though she didn't know that it was impossible either—was wrong. If ya hadn't tried to stop her, who knows, maybe she'd get the idea in her head to try somethin' worse once she realized her plan wasn't actually workin'."

Twilight nodded solemnly. "That's a good way of looking at it. She was at… a very low point in her life. I'm glad that I helped pull her out of it. Everypony needs a friend sometimes, Winter." She reached her hoof across the table. "Yes, even you. Even though you think you don't deserve it."

Winter stared at Twilight's hoof for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know why you'd want to still be my friend after how I've treated you lately…"

"Because we're friends, Winter. Sometimes friends fight. Sometimes they say hurtful things to one another. But as long as they're willing to talk it over and accept one another for who they are, and to apologize for whatever it is that made one another upset, then they can still be friends."

Winter paused, then closed her eyes. "I am sorry for the things I said to ya, Twilight. I was a nasty piece of shit, and no matter how much ya say otherwise I know that that's what I was, what I am. I said things that ya didn't deserve to hear, things that I don't even believe are true… and I'm sorry."

"And I accept your apology. I'm sorry too, for doing what I did. I know that you said that it wasn't actually my fault, but… I still did it. What if it had been my fault? What if my world really was in danger right now because of my actions? You're right, I didn't think about any of that. All I could think about was you."

Winter's face reddened and she looked out the window. "Yeah, well… thanks, I guess." Another pause. "Does that mean we're… still friends…?"

Twilight reached her hoof over to take Winter's in her own; Winter didn't pull away. "Of course it does. A little fight isn't going to change that. Friends fight sometimes. It happens. But we push forward, and if all goes well, we'll come out stronger for it. Okay?"

"Yeah… okay."

Twilight smiled. She couldn't really put into words how glad she was to be able to put everything bad that had happened between them behind them and to just move on. Together. As friends.

Just then, something out of the corner of Twilight's eye caught her attention. A little glimmer of light in the distance. "What's that?" she asked suddenly.

"What's what?" Winter asked, looking off and out into the dark water.

"I swear that I saw— There it is again!"

Winter nodded. "I saw it too. Ya don't think it's that fuckin' serpent comin' back for us, do ya?"

"Gosh, I hope not. But I don't think so. It's— There! Again! It's moving a lot differently than the serpent did. It has to be something else. Where did it go?" Twilight shook her head. "Come on, we should go tell the captain."

"Right."

Twilight and Winter headed up to the cockpit, where Captain Ember and Engineer Copper were currently just pushing the ship along on their search, still with no results—of at least Twilight hoped that if there were results, they'd have informed the passengers and crew—and looking just as restless as Rainbow did back in the passenger area.

"Princess, Miss Glow," Ember greeted. "Still nothing to report. Anything I can do for you?"

"We saw something," Twilight said. "Something's out there, but I don't think it's the sea serpent."

Ember raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She turned to Copper. "Are the scanners picking up anything?"

"I've had the seismic scanners working on full power, Cap," Copper said, scratching her chin. "All the other sensors are off so that I could extend the range."

"Where did you see it?" Ember asked Twilight.

"We were seated at the portside window," Twilight replied. "It was just a light in the distance. I thought it might be our light reflecting off the serpent scales again, but you've got the spotlight firmly straight ahead."

Ember glanced out the viewscreen, then back to Twilight. "Fair point. You think it's something—"

The four mares all let out a collective yelp of surprise when something very suddenly put itself directly into full view of the viewscreen camera. Twilight knew immediately what it was, though the others reacted a bit faster with their confusion.

"Is that a fuckin' giant seahorse?!" Winter blurted, pointing at the offending creature.

"It's not like any seahorse I've ever seen before!" Ember said, shaking her head. She seemed to calm down quickly enough, at least. "But then I've only seen pictures of them in books. Do they not get that big?"

"That's not a seahorse at all," Twilight said, taking a step forward and tilting her head. "That's a seapony." A pause. "It's an… odd distinction."

The seapony in question was recognizable as a seapony, but it was like no seapony that Twilight knew from back home. The same basic shape and gentle disposition, certainly, though its face lacked the same elongated features of the seaponies she knew. Actually, it looked more appropriately proportioned like she and her friends had been when they'd briefly become seaponies themselves.

The most distinct difference though were the two antennae on the top of its head, curved around and tipped with little "bulbs" not unlike an anglerfish. They even briefly lit up when the seapony looked off to the side, and Twilight knew then and there that that had been the light that she'd seen before.

"Okay. So. Besides there being sea serpents down here, apparently there are seaponies," Captain Ember muttered, her body still a little stiff in surprise. "This has been a weird week. I'm glad I got some stress relief in before we left. I'm gonna need to book some more appointments if this trip keeps up like this."

"What does it want?" asked Copper, scratching her head. "It's just swimming there, all mysterious-like and stuff. You think it's friendly?"

Winter grunted. "Considerin' we just finished findin' out that the minotaurs used evil soul magic in their fuckin' artwork, I'm not ready to give anythin' the benefit of the doubt so quickly just yet."

"They're friendly where I come from," Twilight said as she watched the seapony curiously examine the camera. "Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean anything." She turned to Ember and Copper. "Is there any way that we could potentially communicate with it?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," Ember said; her eyes hadn't left the seapony's image even for a second.

Twilight hummed, then turned and headed back towards the passenger cabin. "I'm going to see if I can get its attention."

Winter followed after her. "How?"

"Easy." Twilight stepped up to the window, lowered the tinting filter that kept the light from inside the ship from giving them away, and gave the glass—not actual glass, obviously—a few light taps. "Now we wait—"

The seapony was down at the window so quickly that Twilight hadn't even finished formulating her thoughts. She could see the seapony clearly now, and without the tinting filter, the seapony would be able to see her too. Twilight couldn't think of any appropriate response on such short notice, so she just waved.

Rainbow came up behind her, eyes wide with wonder. "Whoa, no way, is that a seapony?"

Even Hourglass, Sunspire, and Ensign Spark had come over to look, but they stayed quiet for now, apparently just so awed by what they were seeing that they had no words to express. Which was good; Twilight needed some quiet so that she could think of what to do. The seapony was eyeing her curiously, and the others as well, but mostly her. Apparently even a seapony was amazed by the sight of an alicorn.

Should she try to talk to it? Was this seapony friendly, or a threat?

"You don't need to 'talk'," said a feminine voice in her head. "And I am a friend. I hope."

Twilight stumbled back and nearly tripped over Winter in the process.

"Bloody hell, are you alright?" Winter asked, helping Twilight keep steady. "What's the matter?"

"You didn't hear that?" Twilight asked, looking right at Winter.

"Hear what?"

"She spoke to me. The seapony spoke to me!"

Winter looked at the seapony, then at Twilight. "I didn't hear anything."

Twilight paused, then stood up and walked back over to the window. "Can you… hear me?"

The seapony tilted her head. "I can hear your thoughts," she… said. Twilight noticed the seapony's antennae bulbs were glowing in time with the words she was "saying", not quite like morse code or anything similar to it. "You do not need to be afraid. I do not want to hurt you."

"Are you using some sort of telepathy?"

"I can communicate with others of my kind through our thoughts and emotions, if that is what you mean. I am as surprised as you that it works with a surface dweller. And glad that it works, too."

"What's going on, Twi?" asked Rainbow, her gaze shifting between the seapony and Twilight. "Are you talking to that seapony out there or something?"

"I'm trying to, yes," Twilight said.

She looked at the seapony's form carefully just to make sure she didn't look dangerous. The sea… mare? The seamare had a lovely pink body with red fins, which like the seaponies back home also served as her "mane". But unless the seamare's sleek, slender frame made her dangerous, Twilight couldn't think of any reason to feel threatened. Besides, there was an entire ship's hull between them, why should she feel threatened anyway?

"Who are you?" she asked. "What's your name?"

"My name is Corelia. What's yours?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle. It's nice to meet you, Corelia." Twilight tilted her head. "You seem awfully friendly for someone that's just meeting strangers from the surface for the first time."

"Oh, that is because we have already met." A pause. "Technically. I did not know what you looked like or who was who within this contraption of yours, but I recognized it from the other day."

"'The other day'?"

"Yes. You saved me from the leviathan with your contraption's strange red fang."

"Saved you from…" Twilight brightened instantly. "Oh! The sea monster? It's called a leviathan?"

"That is what we call it, yes. I was foraging for gemshells when it attacked me. Your contraption saved my life."

Twilight turned to Winter. "She says that we saved her from that sea monster the other day. I knew it looked like it was chasing something when it spotted us."

Winter scratched her chin. "And we probably looked like a bigger, better meal to it compared to her." With a grin, she added, "First time I've ever been able to say anythin' like that. Usually it's the other way 'round."

"So she recognizes us?" Rainbow asked.

"That's what she said," Twilight replied.

"Cool! We're like her heroes or something."

Winter leaned over and gave Dash a look. "None of us did anything. Captain Ember and Engineer Copper did all the work. You were down here twiddlin' your hooves."

"Psh. Part of the crew, part of the ship," Rainbow scoffed. "If a boat saves you from drowning, you thank the whole crew, right? Not just the guy or gal that pulled you up?"

"You're not part of the crew either. You're a passenger. What, do you think she should thank the luggage too?"

"Aww bite me."

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned back to the seapony, to Corelia. "Sorry about that. My friends sometimes like to bicker a bit.

Corelia smiled. "It is quite alright. I do not feel any anger or hatred coming from them." She tilted her head and looked towards the rear of the ship. "When I saw you again, I had to come and say 'thank you', but now I see that your contraption has been damaged. Is there any way that I can help? You saved my life, and I would like to return the favor."

"Oh! Yes, that would be great! We're trying to find a cavern or something with an air pocket so that we can perform repairs. Do you know where we can find one?"

Corelia nodded. "Yes. I can lead you there, if you'd like? It isn't far."

Twilight smiled and nearly bounced in place. "Yes! Thank you so much. I'll go tell the captain to follow after you, okay?"

Without even waiting for a response, Twilight bolted up to the cockpit and got Captain Ember's attention. "Captain! Good news! This seapony—her name is Corelia—was being chased by the sea serpent—it's called a leviathan—the other day, and we saved her! She wants to return the favor so she's gonna show us where to find a place to make repairs!"

Ember blinked a few times, then nodded. "Yeah, okay. Tell her to lead the way."

Twilight turned to head back to the window of the passenger cabin, but Corelia had already swam up to the top of the ship where the viewscreen camera was located, where she was currently waving at the two.

"I cannot see you, Twilight Sparkle, but I can sense where you are and that you can see me through this device. I can sense your captain, too. Tell her I said 'thank you for saving me'. She is very brave."

"She wants to thank you for saving her the other day. She asked me to tell you personally," Twilight said with a big smile. "She says you're very brave."

Ember just stared at Twilight a moment, then turned her gaze back to the viewscreen. "Huh. Telepathy. Makes sense. How else would you communicate under the sea, unless they… I dunno, did that whole 'whale' thing. Y'know." Ember then proceeded to, for some reason, demonstrate that she could mimic a whale. "Hellllooooo. Hoowwww arreee yooouuuu?"

Twilight blinked. "I don't think that's how it works."

"Tell your captain I am doing well," giggled Corelia. "And that she speaks very good Whalish. It took me years to learn."

Twilight blinked again, then turned back to the captain. "She says you speak very good Whalish," she said flatly.

Ember smiled. "Oh, thanks! I've been practicing."

The Comet Chaser then proceeded to follow after Corelia as she led the ship through the calm waters of this particular eye of the Belt of Tranquility. Though it took a couple of hours because of their slower speed, eventually they managed to reach a large chasm then spread out into the storm, which Corelia then proceeded to move through with, to the surprise of Twilight and Ember, very little trouble.

"How are you able to move through the storm without protection?" Twilight asked, mystified. "We have to use shields on our ship to survive it."

Corelia was so unbothered by the storm that she could even stop to turn and answer the question while swimming backwards. "My people have lived in the Great Maw since it first appeared. Though it was hard at first, my ancestors adapted to the new environment, and those adaptations have passed on through their children."

Twilight considered the name, "Great Maw". The name the seaponies gave the Belt, obviously. "Evolving like that would take several generations. It really happened that quickly?"

"Ah, you are predisposed to the lifespans of surface dwellers. Seaponies have much shorter lifespans than you. I am only six years old, but in your terms, that would put me at the equivalent of thirty years old. I have a mate and children of my own already."

Twilight was amazed at how quickly this seapony was learning things about her and the ponies on the surface. That empathic ability was clearly a lot more potent than it seemed.

"Huh. Interesting…" Twilight tilted her head. "Where do you and your people live? You talk about it as though you have a civilization like we do on the surface."

"We do, although none of you surface dwellers have found it yet. The city of Aquas. I would show you were it is, but we are forbidden from showing it to outsiders." A pause. "Not that there actually ever have been any outsiders. It is a silly rule. But it is a rule. One day, your contraptions will find it."

"Well, when we do, I hope that we can make good friends with your people, Corelia."

Twilight was barely constraining herself from making plans to introduce Queen Novo to whoever ruled this Aquas that Corelia belonged to. She'd already seen how potent the seaponies' empath abilities were, she didn't need to let slip too many sensitive bits of information.

Corelia led the Comet Chaser down into the chasm, into a tunnel deep inside, which led up and into a cavernous chamber that had a sizable air pocket. The ship was able to surface, and, though it took a few moments to prep, the crew got repairs underway. The repairs would take hours, but even once they were done the Comet Chaser would still need to take some test runs to make sure the repairs were working. They weren't going anywhere soon.

The passengers, in the meantime, were able to disembark and relax outside of the ship for the time being. Since the repairs would be a while, the group was encouraged to get some sleep after a rough day, now that they knew things were going to be safe again. Hourglass and Sunspire took that advice pretty quickly; Rainbow tried to fight it, but she eventually did the same. Winter stayed up, however; she always maintained a strict sleeping schedule.

Twilight, however, used this opportunity to talk some more with Corelia. She seemed like such an interesting creature, similar to the seaponies of her own home but also different in ways that Twilight could never have thought of. She was actually pretty sad when the seamare had to leave.

"It is getting late, and I should return home to my family," Corelia said. A pause. "Oh! I know just the thing."

Twilight watched as the seamare reached her muzzle into a pouch—a pouch on her body, like a kangaroo's—and pulled out a shiny seashell that glittered like a diamond. Corelia handed it to Twilight, who took it delicately; the thing looked precious and fragile and practically radiated magic, so she was extra careful with it.

"That is one of the gemshells that I found today. I want you to have it."

"Wow. It's so pretty," Twilight said breathlessly. "Thank you. Are you sure it's okay to take it?"

"Very sure. You are a nice pony, Twilight Sparkle. I know that you must return to your surface world, but that token will be proof that you have a friend here belows the waves."

Twilight smiled. "I wish that I had something to give you in return."

"There's no need. I wish you well on your journey, Twilight."

"Safe travels to you too, Corelia."

With that, the seamare dove beneath the surface of the water and off into the tunnel. Twilight lost sight of her in seconds, and though she knew it was unlikely that she'd ever see the seamare again until this journey was over, she knew now that she had just one more reason to make sure that this world survived. A powerful resolve filled her like never before.

If Nihila wanted to try and destroy this world, then she was going to have to go through her.